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 or men of professional status. This pipe, of the cherrywood style, would have suited the young professional of the mid and late 1900s. 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

Significance

This type of pipe lends itself well to the rural setting of the Kiewa Valley and although it is a bit more bulky in shape its wooden barrel blends 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. It was used in a time when a good pipe was a precursor for a good relaxation activity. This method of smoking required at least one hand free to hold the pipe (especially the heavier ones) and therefore was used more by the "landed gentry, squire or academic) than by the labourer.

Physical description

This pipe (a ROPP brand) has a full bent vertical stem and its style is cherrywood. The pipe has a permanent filter and a orange coloured band at the stem /shank connection. The stem screws into the bowl and the shank 110mm is made from cherrywood (dark brown in colour). The bit (mouth piece) is 40mm long and in an 80 degree curviture. It has red and green coloured leather ties at the mortise/tenon location.