A snuff box can be very plain or very ornate depending on the location, time
period, and economic circumstances of the period who would have used it.
They are usually fairly small in size (no more than a couple of inches or
so) because the snuff was powdered for inhaling. They were made of horn,
tin, wood, papier mache, brass, gold, silver, etc. They came in a variety of
shapes with a variety of decorations ranging from simple geometric shapes to
involved miniature paintings on porcelain or ivory.
A tinder box is also small and often made of metal (brass or tin) to better
keep out moisture and be sturdy for travel. You wouldn't need a tinder box
at home as you would keep the coals from your cook fire from one day to the
next. Sometimes there is a little metal loop in the inside to keep your
cloth, flint, striking iron or what have you from jostling around. Sometime
they would have seperate compartments for the striking materials and the
tinder. It is sometime hard to tell a snuff box from a tinderbox as they can
be the same size or shape. Though tinder boxes tend to be a bit plainer and
a bit larger.
I am not sure what an original tobacco box looks like. All the period
references I have read refer to tobacco for smoking being kept for personal
use in bags not boxes. The bags are often closed with a drawstring and can
be made of most any kind of fabric - wool, silk, cotton - or of leather or
tarred cavas. Women often would sew and embrioder tobacco bags for their
loved ones.
Heidi Campbell-Shoaf
Curator
Historical Society of Frederick County
24 E. Church St.
Frederick, MD 21718
[log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jenny Harada" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 1:39 PM
Subject: exhibit props
Good Morning everyone,
Thank you for all of the responses to my previous inquiries. They've been
such a tremendous help that I am going to bombard the list with three more
questions. Currently, I am searching for some props to use in our
upcoming exhibit on Oregon's history.
First, in regards to items traded by the Hudson's Bay Company during 1820-
1840, what is the difference between a snuff box, tinder box, and tobacco
box? It seems like different vendors use these terms interchangeably, so
I wanted to make sure I was labeling these items correctly.
Second, I am searching for information about the supplies provided by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs in the 1850's. Were the clothing and camp gear
similar to the goods being traded by the various Fur Trade companies?
Does anybody have any recommendations of where to purchase historically
accurate replicas of these items?
Finally, does anybody know a good resource for foreign product labels from
the early part of the 20th century? In particular, we are looking for
German, Scandinavian, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese items imported to the
Pacific Northwest before the World War II era.
Thanks in advance for all of your recommendations. Please feel free to e-
mail me off-list at [log in to unmask]
Jenny Harada
Collections Assistant
Oregon Historical Society
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