The Chicagoland Pipe Collectors Club: From Local Gatherings to a Global Tradition
How a small community of Chicago pipe collectors, remarkable enthusiasts, and a shared passion for smoking history helped create one […]
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Smoking History
Explore the histories behind antique pipes, smoking plants, and traditions across the world. Original research connects remarkable artifacts with the cultures and people who made and used them.
The History of Arlington Pipe & Cigar: Fifty Years of Tobacco Tradition
From a small suburban tobacconist to a gathering place for Chicago’s pipe and cigar enthusiasts, the story of Arlington Pipe […]
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The Pipe Was Never Just for Peace: The Lakota Čhaŋnúŋpa
The Pipe Was Never Just for Peace The Lakota Čhaŋnúŋpa, Pipestone & the Sacred Smoking Traditions of the Great Plains […]
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The Miniature Enamel Pipe of Qajar Persia
Traditionally identified as a Persian woman’s dokha pipe, this five-inch copper-and-enamel artifact reveals the private rituals, decorative arts, gender history, and political importance of tobacco…
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How a Late Qing Chinese Brass Water Pipe Worked
Tobacco, Technology, and Social Life in Nineteenth-Century China Often mislabeled as an opium pipe, this compact brass vessel was an […]
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The Chinese Bamboo Water Pipe: Craftsmanship and a World War II Journey
Discover the construction and history of a Chinese bamboo water pipe reportedly brought home from China by an American World War II veteran.
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The Indian Hookah: Craftsmanship and Symbolism in a 19th-Century Silvered-Copper Huqqa
Discover the craftsmanship and cultural history behind an elaborate 19th-century Indian huqqa decorated with peacocks, flowering vines, chains, and hand-worked metal relief.
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