Civil War Snuff Box
Civil War Snuff Box - Inventory Number: PER 445
Snuff box with floral and geometric patterns from a lifetime collection of nearly 200 snuff boxes.
The snuff box was a small, usually ornamented box for holding snuff (a scented, powdered tobacco). The practice of sniffing or inhaling a pinch of snuff was common in England around the 17th century; and when, in the 18th century, it became widespread in other countries as well, the demand for decorated snuffboxes, considered valuable gifts, increased. Some were small enough to fit in a waistcoat pocket, and others were larger; all gave 18th-century craftsmen an opportunity to execute rich and elaborate designs.
Throughout the Civil War snuff production boomed. It was even recommended by doctors as a general cure-all, particularly effective in the treatment of coughs, colds, and headaches. Many soldiers carried snuff in their haversacks.
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