Smokiana: Historical; Ethnographical — Context and Discussion

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Authors: Pritchett, R. T. (Robert Taylor), 1828-1907 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2015 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Smoking; Tobacco pipes Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 8,697

Reading time 38 min

Text sections 53

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Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Smoking,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #49706

An 1890 ethnographic survey of global smoking pipes and tobacco use, structured as a visual catalog with hand-drawn illustrations. Pritchett traces the 'Goddess Nicotina' from West to East, documenting pipes from Japan to New Guinea, with attention to materials, ornamentation, and cultural context.

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[Transcriber’s Note: This text was handwritten originally with many illustrations containing captions that were also handwritten. We have tried to represent the original as faithfully as possible which means that some sentences begin with lowercase letters, some sentences run on, inconsistent spelling prevalent, etc. The HTML version contains the images of the original pages with transcriptions underneath. Letters in curly brackets were superscripted in the original and words surrounded by _underscores_ had a single underline. =Equal signs= represent words with a double underline in the original.]

Do you ken the muxture?

R. T. PRITCHETT. 1890

To YE MEMORIE of KING JAMES 1^{st.}

“counterblaste” of the past & To the ANTI·TOBACCO·FRATERNITY of the present day. The following ETHNOGRAPHICAL “PLEBESCITE” is respectfully dedicated. by their well wisher,

The Author & Sinner RTP

To The Courteous Reader. =LONDON.=

The stream of Conquest has generally flowed from North to South. The Triumph progress of the Goddess Nicotina has been from West to East starting in the 16^{th.} century she has now girdled our little orb with devotees burning continuous incense. The Instruments connected herewith are objects of Historical & Ethnographical interest hence are brought together authentic Portraits of the “Pipe Family”. Briar root and Branch “who judge from the favor in which they are now held.” “At home & abroad” they seem likely to flourish for ever. I cannot close without expressing my thanks to Mr. Bernard Quaritels for placing then before you in their present Garb.

Your faithful Sinner & Author, _Robt. Pritchett._

List of Illustrations.

9 Tobacco Plant 1669 ·A·D

11 “NICOTIANA” flower.

13 German Woodcut 1616. AD.

25 Danish & N. Europe.

39 Stanley Exped^{n.}

49 Persian. 1669. A·D

89 N. AMER. Stone Pipes

101 England old & _New._

Tobacco Plants & their Varieties.

Although Smoking is generally associated with Tobacco only, yet there are other plants whose leaves are used for similar purposes & these will be referred to as we come to the different means of using them. Our first Woodcut of Tobacco is from STELLA—ROMA 1669. a work of

great value as giving Pipes & the Hookah of Persia as well as Plants but we will start with some of the growths now most generally known of the “NICOTIANA” Family which is very widely spread over the face of the Earth & has of late made great strides in Borneo & Sumatra.

NICOTIANA “_TABACUM_”. (The mother of the family) Height 5 ft. Leaf 12^{in} to 14^{in.} Corolla Pink. Virginia manilla.

N. “_RUSTICA_”. Height 3 to 4 ft. Leaf 10^{in.} to 12^{in.} Corolla Greenish into Yellow. Turkey & India.

N. “_REPANDA_”. Small. Corolla white. Havannah.

N. “_PERSICA_”.—or Bombay, all used in Persia by the Royal Family. (SHIRAZ tobacco).

N. “_AFFINIS_” is our Garden Plant with long tube 3½^{in.} with Corolla White. Very fragrant. Habitat. Isle of Pines. S. PACIFIC.

We are greatly indebted to old German woodcuts for solid information anent details of Habits & customs of the 16^{th.} Century which our own people have not handed down to us, take for instance “Hans Sachs.” Book of Trades. Had smoking been in vogue in his day he would have given it—or rather Jost Ammon would have illustrated it so here in _1616 ·A·D_ we find a Sturdy German, blowing a tremendous cloud. It is taken from an old work now in Frankfurt—viz

“Völler Von Gellhausen (ULRICUS).”

M. Weixner. Formscheider und Mahler. _A·D 1616._

We have heard much of late of The “STONE” Period. The “Bronze” Period & the “Iron” Period & some one has gone so far as to say this is the “Brass Tin” Period. on all these scores “SMOKIANA” is strongly represented bringing forward The “Brass” Pipes of SUMATRA. It is surprising how widely diffused is “STONE” especially “Soap stone.” Amongst the following specimens will be found our “Gourd.” Period—but as there is “no place like Home” we will begin with “English clays,” of which some are shown on the opposite page enriched by Tobacco of recent years..

The various stamps & names of early makers of Tobacco Pipes are most satisfactorily corroborated by the Parish Register and the families seem to have gone on prospering, but the sickle “of Old Time” has been put in & . & old things have passed away making room for new. The Four stamps given on the opposite Page are amongst the Earliest known. & of great interest. The quality of the Clay must have attracted the makers to that spot—after the introduction of Pipes to London, which had a Pipe maker’s Company _.A·D. 1619_ & still continues establishments at Bow.. The “Old Cock” Tavern in Fleet Street had its own Token & its own Pipe.

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R. T. Pritchett’s Smokiana: Historical; Ethnographical (1890) is structured as a visual catalog of smoking pipes from around the world, moving region by region from Europe through Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas. The book’s organizing principle is the westward-to-eastward spread of tobacco use, which Pritchett frames as the triumph of the “Goddess Nicotina.” Each entry pairs a hand-drawn illustration with a brief ethnographic note, emphasizing the pipe as an object of both historical and ethnographical interest.

The work’s structure is driven by the sequence of plates, each depicting a specific pipe or smoking implement. Pritchett’s commentary is terse and observational, often noting materials (bamboo, briar, clay), ornamentation, and how the pipe is used or carried. The text is handwritten in the original, with inconsistent spelling and capitalization, a feature preserved in this digital edition.

The Pipe as a Register of Art and Transition

Pritchett repeatedly treats the pipe as a cultural artifact that records the artistic and technological state of its society. In the New Zealand entry, he writes that “Pipes seem to be a general register of the art of the Country in which they are made,” noting that the carved work on a briar pipe “assumes a new type” during a “transition period” when traditional ornamentation is “fast passing away.” The pipe’s design—a spike to stick into the ground, like a linstock—reflects both practical and symbolic functions. Similarly, the Dyak pipe from Borneo is valued because it was “acquired from the original owner when using it,” adding ethnographic authenticity. Pritchett’s focus on use-wear and provenance underscores his belief that a well-used object carries more historical weight than a pristine specimen.

Materials and Construction Across Regions

The book’s ethnographic survey highlights the diversity of materials and construction techniques. Bamboo appears frequently: in Borneo, the stem is “rather large according to our idea in proportion to the Bowl,” and the Dyak regulates the draft by inserting dry grass. In New Guinea, bamboo is “the material now in vogue,” with the mouthpiece formed by a hole at the joint, and the tobacco tube is “always at right angles to the thick stem.” Metal pipes are noted in Sumatra, where “large brass pipes from Batak-landen” are described, and a pin-cushion arrangement on the wooden bowl for the pricker is “very original.” Stone pipes appear in the North American section, while clay pipes dominate the European plates. Pritchett’s attention to these details reveals a systematic interest in how local resources and craftsmanship shape pipe design.

Regional Absences and the Limits of the Survey

Pritchett is candid about gaps in his collection. In the Australia entry, he notes that Aboriginal people “have not been found worshippers of the Goddess ‘NICOTINA,’” though a wild tobacco was discovered near Port Jackson. He admits, “in vain have we sought a native Pipe,” and the specimen shown is attributed to a “Heathen Chinee or more likely MALAY.” This honesty about missing data contrasts with the confident tone of other entries. Similarly, the Sumatra section remarks that the Acheen section is “a little thin,” while the Java museum’s collection is praised as “one of the most instructive.” These admissions remind the reader that Smokiana is a personal collection, not a comprehensive survey, and that its authority rests on the author’s direct observation and acquisition.

Movement Between Scenes: From Japan to the Arctic

The book’s structure moves the reader rapidly across continents, often with abrupt transitions. The Japan entry describes “this most delightful country” and notes that the small bowl size leads many to mistakenly think opium is used; the tobacco is “very light in Colour & very fine cut.” Pipe cases suspended from the girdle by carved netsuke are praised as “lovely.” From Japan, the reader jumps to Borneo, then Sumatra, then Australia, each entry a self-contained vignette. The Arctic pipes appear near the end, with a plate titled “Arctic Pipes. IGNITION.” This geographical sweep, from the tropics to the poles, reinforces Pritchett’s claim that tobacco use has “girdled our little orb.” The lack of connective narrative between entries places the burden on the reader to compare and contrast the objects, much like browsing a museum display.

Smokiana rewards readers who approach it as a cabinet of curiosities rather than a systematic treatise. The handwritten original and the transcriber’s note about inconsistent spelling and capitalization add a layer of historical texture. Pritchett’s voice—at once scholarly and personal, with asides about his own collecting practices—makes the book a document of late-Victorian ethnographic enthusiasm. Readers interested in material culture, the history of smoking, or the aesthetics of the pipe will find much to examine in these pages.

Flipping through Smokiana, I recalled my grandfather’s clay pipe, its bowl worn smooth by decades of thumbs. The survey’s careful drawings felt like a whisper of that same devotion—objects holding hands across centuries. Years ago, A definition of social work: A thesis in sociology — Key Ideas to Explore stirred the same quiet ache: how we document lives to make sense of our own quiet rituals, one small thing at a time.