Cigar Box, The Line Cigar
Credit LineGift of Dr. J. M. Waters, 1992
Object number1992.002.003
Label TextThis is a Line, McDonald cigar box. The company had been founded in 1891 by Robert D. McDonald and Harry Line. McDonald first worked as a clerk for cigar manufacturer H. McKay and Company starting in 1888. By 1889, he had risen to the position of bookkeeper. By 1910, Line, McDonald had 200 people working for them. London's cigar-manufacturing industry flourished from the 1860s until the First World War (1914-1918). At its peak, in 1912, some 20 firms were producing 80 million cigars a year. The advent of Prohibition in 1916, raised tariffs during the First World War, and a turn towards cigarettes spelled the end of the industry.
NameBox, Cigar
1883-1920
c. 1915
