Snuff box

Object Type
The snuff box derives from the tobacco box, which appeared during the mid-17th century (a silver example is first mentioned in 1643). The tobacco itself was sold in the form of a solid plug which had to be grated before being inhaled as powder.

Design & Designing
This box, made of Sheffield plate, is an example of the popularisation of the Rococo style in the mid-18th century. Die stamping, developed particularly for the Sheffield plate industry. meant that complicated patterns could be accurately and repetitively reproduced, quickly and cheaply, after the initial costs of the dies were recovered.

People
The invention of crucible or cast steel by Benjamin Huntsman (1704-1776) had a decisive influence on the Sheffield plate industry. It was crucial for the cutting of accurate dies used in the plating process. An instrument maker, Huntsman experimented to produce a more uniform steel for the springs and pendulums of clocks. After many failures, he eventually found a satisfactory method of doing so. Bars of blister steel, mixed with fluxes, were fused in closed clay crucibles under intense heat within a coke-fired furnace. His method produced a steel that was more homogeneous in composition and freer from impurities than any previously made. It became the standard for the cutlery trade and for the production of precision tools.