Inhaling snuff, or snuffing, as it is also called, was first witnessed by a European in 1493, when Friar Ramón Pane, who had arrived in the new world courtesy of Christopher Columbus, was living as a missionary among Haiti’s indigenous Taino. Until then, tobacco had been unknown to Europeans, but the use of tobacco spread like a weed on the continent during the 1500s. By the second half of the 17th century, ornate boxes were being produced to keep the precious powder dry.

At the beginning of the 18th century, French jewelers made snuff boxes out of gold set with diamonds, amethysts, and sapphires. By 1740, specialized artisans took over the production of these ornate tabatières, which they engraved, chased, and enameled. A close cousin of the tabatière was the tabatière à cage, whose sides, tops, and bottoms featured gold or metal frames holding panels of decorated ivory, agate, tortoiseshell, or porcelain.

The shapes of these boxes was not limited to simple rectangles. Porcelain containers resembling trunks were common, as were ovals, but tabatières shaped like shells were more rare. And while materials were often enough for their decoration, sometimes these snuff boxes were hand painted, depicting everything from miniature landscapes and bucolic scenes to tiny portraits or grisaille cameos of their owners...

Silver snuff boxes are usually associated with Sheffield, England, where silver-plating technologies were perfected on these diminutive containers in the late 18th century. By the early 19th century, the silver industry had blossomed in Birmingham, England, where box makers such as Samuel Pemberton, Nathaniel Mills, and Edward Smith produced oblong containers with images of castles and abbeys on their tops and sides.

Interestingly, Birmingham was also a center for papier-mâché snuff boxes, which were hardened with multiple layers of enamel. Sensing a market for these inexpensive boxes in the United States, Birmingham box makers were soon decorating their wares with portraits of U.S. naval heroes and victory scenes from the War of 1812, often using engravings by such renowned American artists as Gilbert Stuart as their primary source material.

Meanwhile, in China, snuff bottles were produced to serve the same purpose as snuff boxes in the West. These bottles often resembled flattened discs and ranged in their materials from carved glass or jade to fired porcelain. In the 1800s, some glass bottles were painted from the inside by artists using tiny brushes that ended in right-angles instead of points. Cloisonné was another favored decorative application, with copper and gold being the preferred metals to pair with the enameling.

About our sources | Got something to add?

▼ Expand to read the full article ▼

Interviews & Articles

American Naval Snuff Boxes

Papier-mache, despite its French name, originated in China where it was made for many generations before its European advent. It b… [more]

The Right Snuff: Decoding Chinese Snuff Bottles

In 1978, I found a snuff bottle and didn’t know what it was. It intrigued me, so I bought it. Then I found some books about snuff … [more]

Where There's Smoke There's a Vintage Cigarette Lighter

At the very beginning, my interest in lighters was about the mechanism. I had my first lighter when I was 14. I saved up my nickel… [more]

Collecting Vintage Cigarette Lighters

Cigarette lighter collecting is a hobby that never gets boring. Just by browsing eBay auctions for ten minutes, for example, I rec… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society

International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society

This simple site features a beautiful collection of antique Chinese snuff bottles. Start on the categories page, wh… [read review or visit site]

Inside Painted Snuff Bottles

Inside Painted Snuff Bottles

This site is a great showcase for hundreds of beautifully detailed inside painted snuff bottles - featuring artwork… [read review or visit site]

Match World

Match World

This ambitious site showcases the 20,000-item Rankei Library matchbook collection, owned by the Japan Match Manufac… [read review or visit site]

Kensitas Silk Flowers

Kensitas Silk Flowers

Don Wearmouth and his wife showcase the 230 beautiful silk designs that were distributed free with Kensitas cigaret… [read review or visit site]

Matchbox Labels

Matchbox Labels

Jane McDevitt's huge Flickr photoset of matchbox labels, primarily Eastern European, from the 1950s and 60s. These … [read review or visit site]

Truth in Advertising

Truth in Advertising

This gallery of cigarette magazine advertising from the 1940s and 50s contains no surgeon general's warning, just p… [read review or visit site]

Matchbook Museum

Matchbook Museum

James Lileks' gallery of 400 matchbooks from coffee shops, hotels, motels, bars, banks, restaurants and more. Lilek… [read review or visit site]



Clubs & Associations

Other Great Reference Sites

Top eBay Auctions

Showing 60. See all 205 by  highest bidmost watchedcompleted
Amazing Russian Imperial 84 Silver Cigarette Case / Snuff BoxAntique 19thc Victorian Nathaniel Mills Solid Silver Snuff Box, Birmingham C1851Russian Porcelain Figurine "the Man With The Snuff-box".gardnerMasonic Snuff Box Cane Masonic Gadget Walking StickHandsome Large English Antique L1809 Georgian Solid Sterling Silver Snuff BoxWonderful Large Antique L1909 H/marked Solid Silver Casket Shape Table Snuff BoxTurkey-turkish Vintage Islamic Ottoman Silver Snuff Box With Sultan TugraSuperb Victorian English Silver Snuff Box By Nathaniel Mills C.1838Bilston Enamel Snuff Patch Box Lawyer Quill Pen Devil Superb And Rare C1770800 Continental Silver Enamel Horse Racing Snuff BoxSuperb Victorian Continental Solid Silver Ruby Emerald Jeweled Snuff Pill BoxAntique Hand Painted Stobwasser Style Papier Mache Snuff Box Circa 1820Quality Austro Hungarian Silver Snuff Box - Pressburg 1845 LkAttractive Russian Marked 84(875) Solid Silver Niello Snuff Box. 1859, MoscowAntique Georgian Mother Of Pearl & Gilt Sarcophagus Trinket Snuff Box Circa 1750Beautiful Russian Silver Niello Castle Top Table Snuff Box - Moscow C1880Solid Silver Snuff Box Jackal Dogs Head Antique Rare Old Vintage Scandinavian Silver 18th Century Roccoco Snuff Box / Vinaigrette C1760. Danish?A Fine Antique Continental Erotic Silver And Enamel Snuff BoxContinental French Antique Solid Silver Snuff Box Antique British Sterling Silver Bangle, Snuff/pill Box, Sovereign Case & BroochVintage Silver And Enamel Fine English Hunting Scene Pocket Snuff Or Pill BoxHallmarked Silver & Agate Pill Snuff Box Curling Stone 1910 Edinburgh J.w.kirwanUnusual Antique Welsh Miners Snuff Box Hughes Art Nouveau Lady 1919 Hidden HingeAntique Dutch Tobacco Pipe Snuff Box Brass Engraved Inscribed 18th C NetherlandsAntique 18th Century Ww1 Small Trench Art Officers Cap Top Opens For Snuff Box Or Pill BoxA 19th C. Scottish Horn Snuff Mull.Antique 18thc Georgian Provincial Solid Silver Crested Snuff Box C.1730Vintage Small Solid 925 Silver Pill / Snuff Box - Fox Design LidVintage Small Solid 925 Silver Pill / Snuff Box - Barrel Trunk DesignVintage Small Solid 925 Silver Pill / Snuff Box - Pig DesignVintage Box Set 1903 12 X Lot Chinese Antique Snuff Bottles Jade Porcelain GlassSilver Trinket/snuff Box Cherubs 1922Hand Carved Shibayama Fruit & Insect Snuff BottleGorgeous Top Qual 1904 Repousse Sterling Silver Snuff Jewelry Dresser Vanity BoxEmbossed Hallmarked Sterling Silver Snuff BottleBeautful Victorian Repousse Sterling Silver Snuff Jewelry Trinket Vanity Box JarSilver An Enamel Snuff Box With Greyhound PlaqueOld Navajo Native American Sterling Silver Pill Snuff Box 24 Gr Signed E S Antique Historical Scene Papier Mache Snuff Box - Early!Art Nouveau Solid Hm Silver Snuff Jewellery Box Vesta Case Birm 1904 C&s 75gSuperb English Antique C1897 Solid Sterling Silver Snuff Box Wth Gilt InteriorGood Dutch Victorian Silver Peppermint / Snuff Box. 1885Early Hand Painted "puppies" Ladies Mauchline Ware Snuff Box / Mauchlineware Awesome Old O.p. Snuff Bottle Olive Green LqqkAntique Watrous Co Sterling Silver Locket Compact Trinket Pill Snuff Box PendantAntique Buffalo Horn Treen Marquetry Inlaid Pique Victorian Snuff Box ChequeredKurt Vonnegut Signed Bagombo Snuff Box 1999 Uncollected Short Fiction ClassicsAntique Enamel On Copper Snuff/trinket Box Circa 1850Rare Art Nouveau Solid Silver Mounted Shell Circular Snuff BoxAntique Unusual Spelter Figural Bear In Smoking Hat Desk Snuff Dispenser Box Superb Antique Dutch Sterling Silver Repousse Figural Scenic Snuff Pill Box CaseSuper Antique Hallmarked Sterling Silver Pill/snuff Box - 1897Old Brass Unique Shape Line Engraved Snuff / Tobacco Powder BoxCollection 5 Pcs .800 To Sterling Islamic Silver Box Goblet Snuff Jewelry 425 GAntique Jeweled French Enamel Box W/ Pearls And Emerald Stones - Compact / SnuffAntique Micro Mosaic Box Floral Trinket Pill Snuff Italian Silver Nickel VintageAntique Signed Chinese Export Sterling Silver Scholars Seal Paste Snuff Box JarAntique Micro Mosaic Box Floral Trinket Pill Snuff Italian Gilt Brass Mark Fap