This aside brings you some anecdotes
concerning the use of the snuff box through different French regional
traditions:
1/ In the Bresse county , the groom to be
used to buy a snuff box in order to offer, on the occasion of his
engagement, a pinch of tobacco to each of his masculine guests while
the bride to be distributed sugared almonds. Quite often, the groom
to be, not being a sniffer himself, gave up his snuff box after the
celebrations.
See here below an example of a typical
engagement/wedding snuff box:
It is generally made of wood, in the
shape of a clog with a hart or some flowers carved on the heel side.
To open the lid, ones had to action different parts in order to be
able to make it rotating.
*
Puzzle wedding
snuff boxes
*
Other
examples of wedding snuff boxes.
*
Allmarks sterling silver snuff
walking stick.
Made in England.
*
*
RARE SCOTTISH HORN SNUFF MULL
WALKING CANE
Circ1840
An extremely rare, rams horn,
white metal & brass mounted, Mahogany dress cane measuring 86cm
in length. The mull section measures 10cm high and 4cm wide and
retains it's original cork stopper. Metal mounts depicts a sheild and
what looks like a rabbit's head! There is a circular disc to the
centre of the lid section.
The horn is in excellent
condition with no cracks, repairs etc. The mounts of the cane are of
a highly polished brass.
Picture courtesy of Margo from UK
for her pictures
*
HORN SNUFF WALKING
STICK
Horn and wood with decorated
aluminium ring
Picture courtesy of Brocjob /
Auvergne / France
*
Outstanding ebonised snuff box
walking stick s with an American eagle's head; English late 19th
Century.
Picture courtesy of
Silverzebrano/Merseyside / UK
If you have any
anecdotes relating traditionnal stories about the use of snuff or
snuff box;
do not hesitate to
contact me, I shall be very pleased to mention them on my web site
!!!
******************
Many thanks to Alan for sending
the below information:
Sorry my French is not up
to a translation, but I have found a report in an old parish magazine
dated 1871 from Buckinghamshire, England of a village fair or fete to
raise money for the church and the church school. It states that one
of the "amusements" was "snuff-box-sticks". Do you think this means
that the children or adults went around offering a pinch in return
for a little money as you state happened in France or could it have
been some sort of game. Either way I thought you might be
interested.
Kind regards - Alan
Mountford
