Featured Cigar store Indian?

A friend is clearing out items left behind from an elderly renter who moved to a nursing home and let her have them. This native American manikin is life sized. The head and hands are plaster, perhaps. Very hard and not plastic. He does have a body of sorts, but it is just wooden slats loosely tied at the joints and padded out. It is flexible and can be easily posed.

I tell you, he looks quite imposing and lifelike seated at the table! Any idea of what this is intended for? It doesn't seem like the usual tourist ware. The gent who owned it decorated his room in a western motif with saddles, a mounted coyote, woven blankets, etc. Dennis

 

Not old enough to be a cigar store Indian. Don't know what it is, but I wonder about someone who lived with that in the house!

 

Someone who needed an attentive listener, because that's what he looks like. And he doesn't talk back.

 

I think he qualifies as a work of art or at least artisanal work. Don't see wear I would expect if he had been used in changing store displays, but...?

 

Something de-accessioned by a museum, or disposed of by a theme park or amusement park?

 

Eegad!

 

At an amusement park that I went to as a kid, there were benches and on the benches were different people like yours and characters that one could pose with for a photograph.
That is what came to my mind.

 

There is a restaurant in the town I live in that closed down about 10 years ago but reopened about 4 years ago UGH long story short there was about 10 of these types of Life size Indians and people dressed in Old west type clothing in it before it closed there was like a little railing thing a facade that ran around the inside top that looked liked the old west saloons and such. Anyhow they bought them to decorate the restaurant when the first opened. That was 1979.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=vin...XHt1MKHXjZAP0Q_AUICSgA&biw=1920&bih=949&dpr=1

 

https://www.westernmannequins.com/

 

Looks like Anthony Quinn to me:

 

DeAnne's links took me to this. Who knew?

https://www.westernmannequins.com/

 

Thanks. That sure looks like the same type of mannequin. So I guess it is just for decor. Now to find someone who wants to buy the darn thing! Maybe some one could use him to drive in the multiple passenger lane except we don't have those here in Ohio. Dennis

 

Was also thinking HOV lane, but didn't want to give anyone ideas.

Definitely a conversation piece!

 

If I worked there I would be so tempted to keep changing the heads around.

 

I have seen these before here in the carolinas recently, upon entering a home 2 were sitting in chairs in the dining room which was visible from the foyer. I asked what the deal was thinking i had maybe made a mistake coming here & the people living here were "off".
He explained he got them initially because of grandkids visits but now kept them there to see reactions from strangers like me.