A luxurious time to enjoy smoking. Western antique smoking accessories.
由 WATANABETAIGA 發布
Hello everyone! I'm Watanabe, the owner of "SILVER-LUG".
Among the antique items, there are smoking accessories related to tobacco and cigars.
In recent years, as fewer people smoke, smoking paraphernalia has become less common.
However, if you take a look at the world of antiques, you'll find many items that are surprisingly beautiful and also wonderful as works of art.
Western antique smoking accessories are a very fascinating category, not just as mere tools, but as objects that tell a story of culture and history.
Today, we'll be introducing some charming antique smoking accessories.
1. Changes in smoking methods and smoking culture
For upper-class gentlemen in the 19th century, smoking was a fashionable pastime in social settings.
However, smoking in the living room where women were present was considered a breach of etiquette, and the men enjoyed their post-dinner cigars and pipes in a dedicated room called the "smoking room."
The smoking room was a private space where only men could relax, and it was furnished with heavy furniture, artwork, and beautiful smoking accessories.
As time passed and the 20th century began, cigarettes became the mainstream, and smoking culture spread more widely.
Along with that, the designs of smoking accessories became simpler and easier to carry.
Pipe
From the time tobacco was introduced to England in the late 16th century, it quickly became widespread among the common people. Later, in the late 19th century, it became established again as a common pastime.
Among the middle class and above, pipes made of expensive materials such as briar and meerschaum were used, and they were items that expressed a person's individuality and wealth.
Snuff
From the late 17th century to the 18th century, it spread throughout Europe, especially around the French court, and reached its peak in popularity in 18th-century England, where it was mainly used by the upper class.
The popularity of snuff was fueled by the fact that it produced no smoke, making it suitable for social gatherings, and that snuffboxes became status symbols of wealth and sophistication.
Cigar
It became very popular in the upper class social circles of England from the early to mid-19th century.
After the tax rate was lowered by the 1829 tax law revision, more people could afford it, but it still strongly retained the image of a "gentleman's luxury item" and was favored in social settings.
Cigarette
From the mid to late 19th century, it spread among soldiers, starting with the Crimean War (1853-1856), and then began to become popular among the general public.
Initially, hand-rolled cigarettes were the main type, but as manufacturing technology developed in the 20th century, they became easier to make and cheaper, leading to their rapid spread among people of all social classes.
After World War I, women who smoked became a symbol of liberated women, and smoking became common among women as well.
2. All About Western Antique Smoking Accessories
Even when we talk about "smoking paraphernalia," there are various types.
Here, we'll introduce four types of items that are commonly found in antique shops.
Pipe
These are smoking accessories made from a variety of materials, including wood, clay, and meerschaum ( a type of mineral) .
Beautiful, ornate pipes were especially popular during the Victorian era.
It's strongly associated with Sherlock Holmes, and is the most popular item among British antique smoking accessories.
Snuff box
Snuff is a smokeless tobacco product that is enjoyed by inhaling powdered tobacco through the nose.
You take a pinch of powdered tobacco from a small, portable box called a "snuff box" and gently inhale it through your nose to enjoy.
They are made of materials such as silver, gold, ivory, and tortoiseshell, and are beautifully decorated.
The lid is designed with clever features to allow you to easily and elegantly take out the contents.
Vesta Case
A vesta is a long, thin, wax-coated stick used for starting fires before the invention of matches.
Even after the invention of matches, the case used to hold them was called a "Vesta case," and its characteristic feature was the serrated, file-like surface on the bottom for striking the matches.
Many of them were made of silver and beautifully engraved, and were also used as small, portable accessories.
Cigarette case, cigar case
This is a case for carrying cigarettes.
They are often made with materials such as silver, enamel, and ivory, and feature delicate carvings and decorations. Many are also gold-plated on the inside to prevent tobacco and cigars from staining.
There are also cases called cigar cases for carrying cigars, and larger boxes that are placed on tables in smoking rooms, etc.
In addition to these, there are also "cigar knives" for cutting the ends of cigars, "cigarette holders" for holding cigarettes without holding them directly in your hand, and "ashtrays" for receiving cigarette ashes.
Lighters became widespread after the late 19th century, and because the import of firearms is subject to complicated procedures, they are difficult to obtain in Japan.
3. The appeal of antique smoking accessories
Smoking accessories such as pipes, cigars, and tobacco-related items were standard accessories for gentlemen of the upper and middle classes at the time, and many of them are beautifully decorated as stylish tools to express the individuality of each person in social gatherings in the "smoking room."
In recent years, fewer people are smoking, so it's not exactly a popular category among antique items.
It's true that advertising for smoking paraphernalia is prohibited these days, which makes it difficult for online shops like ours to handle these products.
Therefore, compared to other items, they tend to have lower prices in the antique market relative to their quality.
Just because it's a smoking accessory doesn't mean it has to be used for smoking. You can enjoy it as a beautiful piece of craftsmanship in other ways.
Larger cigarette cases can be used as business card holders or card cases, and vestas cases can be used as pill cases. Snuff boxes can be used as small jewelry cases or small storage containers.
One customer said they use it as a case to carry throat lozenges and other items.
Even just as decorations, these antique items are very impressive accessories that create an antique-like atmosphere.
Why not incorporate these items, which combine history and beauty, into your daily life?
Summary
How was it?
This time, we introduced the world of Western antique smoking accessories.
The great appeal of antiques lies in the fact that they allow us to experience the culture and history behind them, as well as the outstanding craftsmanship of the artisans, rather than just seeing them as mere tools.
If you are interested, please take a look at our online shop.
You might find your destiny here.
