19th Century Cigar Box Labels (Raven)

These lithographic labels were produced to adorn boxes of cigars about the end of the 19th century. If there was any doubt about the association of these ravens and Poe’s poem “The Raven,” the spine of the book in the labels below read: “Edgar Allen [sic] Poe.” Both of the larger labels (below) were printed about the same time, although the darker raven on the brown book may be slightly older. (In much newer versions of the label, the bird and book become little more than black and white outlines, which saved money but made for a far less attractive image.)  A larger version of the raven with the red book was used on the outside of a cigar box. The box was closed with the red circular seal (right) showing yet another raven, and proudly bearing the name “Edgar Allan Poe.”

(The items displayed here are reproduced, with permission, from a private collection.)