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Image courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA.
Image courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA.
Cigar Humidor
Image courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA.

Cigar Humidor

Artifact IDMO 63.2224
Object Type Humidor
Date before 1963
Place MadeBahia, Brazil, South America
Medium wood; painted skin/leather; metal; silver; clay/ceramic
DimensionsOverall H 6 1/4 in x W 17 1/4 in x D 15 in (15.9 cm x 43.8 cm x 38.1 cm)
Physical DescriptionRectangular wooden humidor on footed base. The humidor has a hinged lid carved with leaves radiating out from center, surrounding an engraved silver plaque. Plaque is inscribed for President John F. Kennedy, from people of Bahia in reference to Alliance for Progress. A silver plate on the lid is engraved: A ahia Ad Presidente John F. Kennedy, Autor Do Aliance Para O Progresso. The interior is divided into four compartments. The underside of lid is lined with parchment hand painted with popular figures of 1834, with an inscription "Figuras Populares da Bahia-Segundo J.B. Debret-1834".
Historical NoteThis chest was a gift from the people of Bahia, kept by John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office of the White House during his presidency. The inscription on the humidor refers to the Alliance for Progress (Alianza para el Progreso) program initiated by Kennedy in 1961 in an effort to improve relations between the United States and Latin America. The largest U.S. aid program ever created for developing nations at the time, the Alliance aimed to establish economic cooperation and development by supporting social and political reforms intended to, as Kennedy said, "satisfy the basic needs of the [Latin] American people for homes, work and land, health and schools." The other, unspoken purpose of the program was to undercut communist influence in the region.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteItem was a gift from a member of the general public to the President and Mrs. Kennedy received by the Executive Office of the President betwen 1961-1963 and held by the General Service Administration until it was donated to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum by the Estate of President John F. Kennedy in 1965.
Credit LineJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA; Gift of the Estate of President John F. Kennedy
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from Public (National Archives Identifier 1676966)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedUse Restriction NoteReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view