A CAST ZINC AND PAINT-DECORATED INDIAN PRINCESS TOBACCONIST FIGURE

William Demuth immigrated to New York from Germany at the age of 16. He started an importing business which later developed into a company that manufactured pipes. Soon thereafter, Demuth began selling show figures to the trade, including figures from the workshop of Samuel A. Robb. Ever the entrepreneur, Demuth discovered that zinc figures would be more durable than wood. He turned to Morris Seelig, a German immigrant and owner of a zinc foundry, and began selling metal and wood trade figures. In 1874, he started to apply for copyrights for the original designs produced by his company. He became highly successful in his field and was able to open showrooms in Chicago and San Francisco.