The majority of Anglo-Canadians at the turn of the 20th century were immigrants from the British Isles and Ireland, or their descendants. Cigar makers could expect customers to revere, or at least to recognize in a kindly light, symbols of Britain and icons of its culture.

BULLDOG

The bulldog has been a symbol of England since the late 1700s, recognized for its fierce, one might say "dogged", tenacity. The "Union" flag of the United Kingdom took its present form in 1801 and was universally referred to as the Union Jack.

BULL-DOG Trimmed nailed wood box (50) Factory 6 IRD 23D Jason Topp, Granby, Que., ca. 1933 CMC 2004.38.30

JOHN BULL

Britannia, the female figure in classical garb on English coins and statuary, personifies the British state in all its dignified majesty. But John Bull, the early 18th-century literary character that became an editorial cartoon caricature 150 years later, represents a more down-to-earth England—patriotic, bluff and hearty, a consumer of beef in great quantities, and, according to Ed. Youngheart's box labels, a cigar smoker as well. This John Bull is clearly at home with other popular icons of Britain—rose, thistle, shamrock, lion, crown, unicorn, Union Jack, and the vehicle of Empire, the dreadnaught battleship.

JOHN BULL Trimmed nailed wood box (25) Factory 21 IRD 17 Series of 1897 Ed. Youngheart & Co., Ltd., Montreal, Que. CMC 2003.46.30

JOHN BULL Trimmed nailed wood box (50) Factory 7 IRD 12 Series of 1915 Ed. Youngheart & Co., Ltd., Montreal, Que. CMC 2004.120.8

PUNCH

The traditional English hand puppet Punch arrived humpbacked and hook-nosed from Italy (where he had been "Puncinello") in the early 17th century. Punch was loud and aggressive. He engaged in knock-'em-down fights with his wife, Judy, that would horrify a modern audience. Children loved him. He had a white terrier named Toby, traditionally played by a real dog leashed to the stage. Because of his outrageous behaviour, "Punch" was chosen as the title of a widely read English Victorian satiric magazine.

Cuban cigar makers already had a Punch cigar (designed to attract British smokers) when Canadian cigar makers came up with their own versions. The "Punch" brand is still sold in Canada, giving it a presence in three different centuries.

ROYAL PUNCH Trimmed nailed wood box (50) Factory 16 IRD 30 Series of 1883 H. O. Sontag or J. White, Hamilton, Ont. CMC 2004.216.4

PUNCH Trimmed nailed wood box (50) Factory 5 IRD 32 Series of 1897 Geo. Kelly & Co., London, Ont. CMC 2001.185.15 Tony Hyman Collection

PUNCH Trimmed nailed wood box (25) Factory 10 Port 50E Series of 1922 Punch Cigar Co., Toronto, Ont. CMC 2001.185.16 Tony Hyman Collection