What was Smoking a Pipe Like 100 Years Ago?

[ARTOPUT]

While John Harry Stedman seems to receive credit (at least in this country) for the invention of pipe cleaners, browsing the advertising and patent filings from the decades preceding Stedman's 'invention' reveals several claims to articles that are in the very least the "next-step" predecessor to the modern pipe cleaner. Suffice it to say there were many, many patents with similar structural features to the modern pipe cleaner that were filed prior to the period of Stedman's claim to invention. Here are just a few.

1902

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/50/21/63/ca26f0fab5b35c/US690717.pdf

1902

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/e8/33/16/23f0b6d084172d/US692800.pdf

1898

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5c/62/87/c2b0ad033d9cb3/US612657.pdf

1896

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/5b/fb/db/87c56dc7622dcd/US566570.pdf

1886

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/94/ce/1e/9a7b3511ae87d0/US347169.pdf

So I'd say that calling Stedman the inventor of the modern pipe cleaner is a bit of historical "glossing over" which is more the norm than the exception.

The Balayeuse Manon pipe cleaners which were sold and manufactured in France in the early 1900s are another very clear predecessor to the modern design, differing in any meaningful sense in that it has absorbent material only at its tip. The intertwined wire at the core is the same.

Thus, the true story, as ever, is less straightforward but much more interesting than what's printed on the 'cover page.'

View attachment 178264

Wow very interesting some of those look very interesting and might even hurt the fingers.

 

[ARTOPUT]

Buy a clay loaded with tobacco. Smoke it, then ... toss it in the Thames. Pick a clay off the rack break off a bit of the stem, load, light and enjoy with a pint. Set the reins down, load, stuff and smoke sitting on a stump while the wife fed the chickens. A hundred different smokers in different locales probably did just as a hundred different smokers today do ... whatever it took to get pleasant smoke. A comfortable chair at the club, a glass of port, stuff, light and enjoy.

I believe during most of the early history of pipe smoking the smoker stuffed, lit and smoked. Pretty much the same as today. We have more choices with regard to blends and pipes. But even back a century or more it was stuff, light and smoke.

So true.

 

[kcghost]

I can give an exact answer in 25 years.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Other than availability, likely not much different than now. You had Meerschaum, Savinelli, Peterson, Missouri Meerschaum, and Dunhill Pipes to name a few. Gawith and other tobaccos available. Pipe cleaners were already in use and there were likely arguments about smoking and cleaning techniques just like today.

 

[ARTOPUT]

Other than availability, likely not much different than now. You had Meerschaum, Savinelli, Peterson, Missouri Meerschaum, and Dunhill Pipes to name a few. Gawith and other tobaccos available. Pipe cleaners were already in use and there were likely arguments about smoking and cleaning techniques just like today.

I would agree for the most part other than maybe it was much more widely seen in public and more so excepted practice. Since tobacco is an American plant I also wonder which country outside the US was the first to import it. Maybe Scotland since the St. Clair family was here long before Columbus was, Ah things to ponder when smoking a bowl.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Ah things to ponder when smoking a bowl.

Never been much of a sitting smoker myself. Just a hands free way to enjoy tobacco while working or occupied with something else.

 

[SaxonX]

My Lady Nicotine: a study in smoke by JM Barrie was published in 1890, as well as being a social commentary of the time in a very funny way, it gives a great insight to pipe and cigar smoking during that era. I enjoyed it so much on my kindle I searched out and bought a hard back copy!

 

[FLDRD]

Tonight after a long road trip, I sit here smoking a couple of bowls and drinking some of my favorite scotch.

Nothing to add, just love the thought of your / their / our / my experience.
I may do this exact thing [again] tonight...

 

[ARTOPUT]

My Lady Nicotine: a study in smoke by JM Barrie was published in 1890, as well as being a social commentary of the time in a very funny way, it gives a great insight to pipe and cigar smoking during that era. I enjoyed it so much on my kindle I searched out and bought a hard back copy!

I am glad you pointed out this book which I got for the kindled. I was amazed at how many free books there were on tobacco pipe subjects for free. Got lots of reading ahead. Thanks again