Victorian White Clay Pipe c1900 with Harps & Leaves

Available is an early 1900s white clay pipe with decorated bowl and spur.

Because tobacco was an expensive luxury imported from the New World, the earliest pipes featured exceptionally tiny bowls.  Stems were short, thick, and had wide interior bore holes.  As tobacco prices dropped, pipe bowls grew noticeably larger.  Stems became longer and thinner to allow the smoke to cool before reaching the mouth.  Long-stemmed variants called "Churchwardens" became standard fixtures in pubs and homes.  They were treated as disposable items:  a smoker at a tavern would break off the tip used by a previous patron for hygiene before smoking.

The Victorian era brought two-part metal molds that allowed for heavily decorated bowls.  The spur acted as a stabilization point, letting the hot bowl rest safely on a flat tavern table without tipping over and spilling ash.  It also provided a cooler spot for a smoker to pinch and hold the hot base of the bowl safely.  The stem has been broken.  This pipe has been recovered from a Victorian dig site.

3 1/2" long
Weight .04 lb.