During the 19th century, men throughout Europe and the United States used small but sublime objets d’art to safely carry cheroots, small cigars. These handy little cigar cases are mini masterpieces. The front, and sometimes the back, have extremely detailed hand-painted images: portraits, historical events, famous monuments, sporting scenes, and even erotic images. Each cheroot case has two rectangular panels, made of heavily lacquered papier mache, joined together by a piece of leather. The case opens like an accordion and holds a leather insert to house the cigars. Cheroot cases were manufactured for only 40 years: 1810 to 1850. Today they are very difficult to find, making them a highly coveted collectible. Most of the population is completely unaware of this important 19th century accessory, and often mistake them for spectacle cases.
