After The Cigar Photo Series by Derrick Buckner

Today, we’re featuring a wonderful photo essay from film photographer Derrick Buckner. Scroll below to view the images and read more from Derrick about the El Reloj cigar factory in Tampa…

Analog cameras and films used: Contax RTS II (Find at KEH Camera or on eBay) | Kodak Portra 400 (Find on Amazon)

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After The Cigar

By Derrick Buckner

Ybor City’s cigar industry commenced in 1885, after Vicente Martinez-Ybor moved his business to Tampa from Key West. Additional cigar factories sprang up following his. Within 20 years, Ybor City contained over 200 cigar factories, producing hundreds of millions of cigars, earning Tampa the title of Cigar Capital of the World.

The majority of the workforce were Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants. These workers established social clubs and mutual aid societies, much of which still remains in Ybor City. On the factory floor lived the tradition of the lectores, individuals who advanced the literacy of the working class by reading, from an elevated platform, literature to the workers. The oral reading tradition remained until the 1930s.

The cigar industry met its decline in the mid-20th century, due to a shift in the economy, the workplace becoming mechanized, and the changing world’s preference for cigarettes over cigars. Ostensibly, with the changes of the world, factories closed one by one.

Remaining standing today is El Reloj, or The Clock. Since 1954, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has occupied 2701 N 16th St, Ybor City. The factory is the last working cigar factory in Tampa. The workers have not closed the factory. The machines still run and the front door has tobacco on its threshold.

This series was shot in a single visit. The purpose of the series was to capture the craft before the art was lost. This project will be presented in a zine at a later date.

The 13th frame contains a clock that was historically significant to the building. This clock was mounted on the interior wall of the factory and was the control clock for the factory. This clock also drove the time mechanism for the clock tower, which is visible from the street. The building is named after this clock. This clock has been keeping time for over one hundred years. It seemed appropriate to conclude here.

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