Carrying snuff was once as commonplace as carrying a phone is today. But as author Kenneth Blakemore remarks in his history of snuff boxes, 'The art of snuffing is all but unknown to us... all that remains of this once fashionable habit are the miniature boxes, intricately designed and coloured, which were once coveted by people from all walks of life - from royalty to peasants throughout the world.'
Tobacco was first imported to Europe from the Americas in the 1500s. Smoked or snorted, it was touted as a medicinal cure for everything, from headaches to the plague. By the 1600s 'snuffing'-inhaling finely ground tobacco through the nose - had become a widespread social habit. But it was not universally celebrated. In 1624, Pope Urban VIII issued a decree, excommunicating anyone using snuff on church property. In the 1640s, Tsar Michael I of Russia banned the import of tobacco and ordered snuff-takers to have their noses cut off (brutal, but effective).
Despite attempts at prohibition, in the 18th and early 19th centuries both noblemen and women took to snuffing with gusto. The Regency romp, Bridgerton, depicts Queen Charlotte snorting snuff. It is one of the show's more historically accurate elements - the real Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, was a snuff devotee, lampooned as 'Snuffy Charlotte'.
Amongst the fashionable elite, a complex set of steps accompanied the practice of taking snuff: tapping the box three times to settle the tobacco, offering snuff to the assembled company, taking a pinch from a tiny spoon or the back of the hand, and delicately dabbing the dribbling nose with a coloured handkerchief (coloured so as to hide the ugly tobacco stains).
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2023-Ausgabe von Homes & Antiques.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2023-Ausgabe von Homes & Antiques.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
48 hours in FUNCHAL
Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...
Fashionably CURATED
Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer
Work life balance
Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...
Farm FUSION
A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar
SAVVY Sophistication
Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire
DARREN APPIAGYEI
The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place