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Snuff box
unknown - Enlarge image
Snuff box
- Place of origin:
London, England (probably, made)
- Date:
ca. 1805 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Silver gilt and oak
- Credit Line:
Given by Joseph Bond
- Museum number:
835-1890
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 120, case 11
Object Type
This container held snuff, a form of powdered tobacco, which was pinched between the fingers and inhaled. Snuff-taking was popular in Britain from the late 17th century with both men and women. These small portable boxes meant individuals could be sure they always had snuff to hand, wherever they were. Even so, on social occasions larger containers would be passed around the table after dinner. Early snuff boxes contained a grater for breaking down the blocks of compressed powdered snuff and spices, such as cloves and cinnamon, imported from the West Indies. By 1730, however, the availability of ready-grated snuff made them redundant, although boxes with compartments intended for two or more sorts of snuff were sometimes made.
Commemoration
Military and naval heroes were commemorated on snuff boxes from the mid-18th century. This box, with a shield made from the oak of HMS 'Bellerophon', one of Admiral Lord Nelson's ships, was one of the earliest examples of the market for souvenirs of the celebrated naval hero.
