E1510: 1700's Swedish Smoking Pipe

Ethnographic

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Identifier:

E1510

Classification Category:

3:Personal Artifacts ➞ Personal Gear

Marks/Labels:

There's a paper tag which appears to be placed on top of two other paper tags. The information from the top tag can be found in "Remarks."
Luther College #: E1510
Vesterheim #: LC7250
(All found on the mouth end)

Engraving on bowl end: "H.A. Anno 1741" - possibly when it was made

Materials:

binding agents ➔ adhesive
colorant ➔ paint ➔ lacquer
metal
botanical ➔ wood

Dimensions:

59.5 cm L
30 mm W
29.3 mm H

Provenance of Object:

We can infer that this object first was in Smaaland, Sweden and then it was transferred to the Luther College Museum. This likely happened in 1896, for this is the date on the paper label. This object was transferred to the Vesterheim Museum on 9/15/99. It was returned to Luther College 11/7/18.

Production Date:

The engraving on the bowl end leads us to believe that this object was made 1741. However, it is possible it was created in 1896, which is the year that is stated on the paper label.

Use/Function:

The is a pipe from Smaaland, Sweden. The forest composition of this region is 50%, so this pipe was likely built there. However, it is interesting that this pipe was used by peasants, for building a pipe was expensive. Smoking tobacco was also not that common in Sweden with most people using snus. Snus was better for the leisure activities those in Sweden participated when compared with pipe smoking. This further makes the existence of this pipe even more baffling.
Even more interesting, the paper label states that this pipe is "hygienic" and "a healthy smoke." This may be due to the fact that around the time the paper label was written, German physician Robert Koch discovered that the bacterium that causes tuberculosis could be transmitted through close contact. This led to the belief that the spitting of tobacco juices too could infect another person. This was incorrect, but led to the increase in smoking tobacco in places such as the United States. Therefore, the paper tag may call this pipe "hygienic" due to the fact that at the time, smoking was seen as a healthy alternative to chewing tobacco. Though various areas of the world took up smoking, Sweden stayed with snus, for when they chewed it, they placed it in their upper lip, therefore not creating as much saliva as those who put chewing tobacco in the bottom lip.

Source Locality:

From Smaaland, Sweden.

Description:

This is a Swedish pipe from Smaaland. It is described by its paper label as being "hygienic." This may be due to the discovery of how tuberculosis was spread and the idea that chewing tobacco was another way this disease was spread, therefore leading to the idea that smoking was healthier than chewing tobacco.

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