Historical information

Pipe smoking has been in vogue for centuries, and in Australia it was a symbol of the "discerning smoker" such as the landed gentry, men of professional status or student. This pipe, however,of the "corncob" style, would have suited the younger professional or student/undergraduate(male or female) of the mid and late 1900s because it was relatively inexpensive to purchase and was regarded as a "beginners pipe". It is the type of pipe well suited to the rural backdrop. In the late 1900s, with the health related restrictions placed on public smoking these tobacco pipes were not immune from the legislation, and even though the pipe smoke was not as offensive as cigarette smoke it still came under the umbrella of smoking. Pipes were also used in the process of inhaling illicit drugs i.e. marijuana, but this use was limited to a very few. Smoking in the second millennium is being phased out as a social habit in Australia but may affect the few "private" smoker and has, as the United States prohibition era (alcoholic drinks) did, spawn an illicit trade in cheap contraband tobacco.

Significance

This type of pipe lends itself well to the rural setting of the Kiewa Valley and although it is a bit rough in appearance its corncob barrel blended into the environment. The Kiewa Valley region was up until the late 1900s part of the Australian Tobacco Industry and the levels of men smoking pipes was enhanced by the ready supply, "off the fields", of tobacco leaves and the attitude to city based smoking restrictions was one of resentment.

Physical description

This pipe has a straight stem and its "style" is corncob. Originally made from corn cobs the pipe was light in weight and easy to hold in the mouth. The pipe has a permanent filter and a black coloured tin band at the stem/shank junction. The stem fits into the wooden shank which is fastened into the bowl. The stem is made from clear plastic (orange in colour). This stem is longer(70mm) than the shank(45mm). Both are horizontal and extrude 7mm from the bottom of the bowl.