Red Clay Pipe Bowl (Archaeological Find)
Files
Title:
Red Clay Pipe Bowl
Subject:
This pipe was likely produced in the Pamplin area of Virginia, which indicates that not only that Harvard students broke the school’s smoking rules in the 17th century, but also that they invested in the endeavor. Although a large majority of people smoked tobacco daily in this time period (Hume, 1970), it was very uncommon for a student to own a red clay pipe during colonial New England, which implies that this student went to great lengths to display that he came from a wealthy background. Social status dictated most areas of life at Harvard during the 17th century such as which buildings students lived in, where they ate and whether they were admitted to the college in the first place (Hall, 1856). Social status could be differentiated from smoker to smoker through the material of the pipe and the engravings or lack of on the pipe bowl. Tobacco was very inexpensive during this time period so it was common for most people to indulge recreationally, medicinally and even as a food substitute.
The fact that there are no engravings or molds on this particular bowl suggests that the owner of it was not of exuberant wealth to pay for an intricate design. Of course, just as in the present day, the rules at Harvard then still prohibited the use of tobacco on campus and in dorm rooms.
Source:
Hume, Ivor Noel. 1970. “A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America”. the University of Michigan: Alfred A. Knopf.
Hall, Benjamin H. 1856. “A Collection of College Words and Customs”. Cambridge: John Bartlett.
Capone, Patricia & Elinor Downes. 2004. “Red Clay Tobacco Pipes: Petrographic Window into Seventeenth Century Economics at Jamestown, Virginia and New England.” In S. Lafferty & R. Mann (Eds). Smoking and Culture: The Archaeology of Tobacco Pipes in Eastern North America. “ Univ. of Tennessee Press.
Object Name:
Red Clay Pipe Bowl
Inventory Description:
Red Clay Pipe Bowl
Peabody Number:
2016.29.100
Intrasite:
H932 Level 1
Depth:
48-67
Class 1:
Ceramic
Class 2:
Pipe
Class 3:
Pipe Bowl
Quantity:
1
Height (cm):
4
Width (cm):
2.5
Depth/Thickness (cm):
2.5