Cigar store Indians first appeared in America in 1770, but the use of
wooden Indians dates back to England in 1617, when small wooden figures
called "Virginie Men" were placed on countertops to represent tobacco
companies.  The era of greatest popularity for cigar store Indians was
from 1850 to 1880.  There was no standard depictions, dress, or poses. 
The carvers rarely used models or relied on realism.  Often, the Indian
would have a comic name, for example "Big-Chief-Me-Smoke-Em." 
Representations were not always negative:  in other cases, specific Indian
heroes, such as Keokuk, Sitting Bull, or Black Hawk, were depicted. 
Braves were in aggressive stances, holding out cigar samples of pipes, and
squaws, less frequent, would look either seductive or matronly.