Ladies & Pipe Smoking

It seems that tobacco smoking has not been very sought after by women on their own except for cigarettes. Today when women smoke most will make use of cigarettes and unless they work in the pipe and cigar industry or have a companion who’s an aficionado we will never see them pick-up a pipe or a cigar. The minority is diverse in thought and culture, not dependent on the approval of the great majority.

As a few women find their way towards a pipe, their choice will be of Aromatic tobaccos mostly. It will be even rarer for women to like the hearty English blends of Orientals, Latakias, Perique and so on.

From the Chinese and Japanese prints, they have been known to enjoy the pipe for over 2 to 3 thousand years. Of course the dark to tan colored leaves known today as tobacco only appeared when Columbus, the English and the Spaniards brought back the heady leaves smoked by the Indians (mostly in religious ceremonies) in North and Central America until then they would smoke different blends of herbs.

The pipe used in Japan then and still today in some cases is the “KISERU”, with a metal thimble size bowl and shank, a bamboo extension and a metallic or ivory mouthpiece. Today they are using it with a short piece of cigarette or pipe tobacco. You only get a couple of puffs from it. The pipes were also made of clay or ceramic.

As the American tobacco appears center stage in Europe in the mid 16^th Century, the first pipe the ladies enjoy is the clay pipe. Introduced by the Dutch at 3 to 4 inches long at first, becoming longer and more feminine as the time goes by it is fragile and breaks easily. Initially it is expensive and only the aristocrats and upper classes are able to enjoy a few puffs. Gaining a larger audience in the 17^th to 18^th Century at the time of Madam de Pompadour 1726ish, King Louis XV’s mistress was an avid smoker, having in her collection over 200 hundred clay pipes.

Like everything the upper classes did, the middle and lower classes followed suit and smoked in public with no restrictions until the start of the 18^th century, when it began to become associated with the working class, drinking and brawling, turning into a bad habit and uncouth for a lady. At this point the ladies would then smoke behind closed doors.

Like Mrs. Rachel Jackson, wife of Andrew Jackson; President during 1829–1837.

Rachel Jackson had accompanied General Jackson to Washington in 1824-25 when the Presidency was decided in the House of Representatives. Rumors about Rachel preceded her arrival in Washington, and the question arose as to whether the other ladies would accept her. Ultimately, they did call upon her. But she did not want to go to Washington in 1828, fearing that her inelegance at conversation, her pipe smoking, and general lack of refinement would reflect poorly on her husband, the new President. However, she did acquiesce to the urging of her friends and made plans to go. She went on a shopping trip and bought clothes appropriate for the occasion only to become ill and die on

December 22, 1828.

In places like, Northern Scotland, Ireland, the Hebrides (Scottish Isles to west of Scotland) and the Appalachians in the US, women smoked unhindered well into the 1930's due to cultural isolation. In South and Central America they still smoke pipes, straw cigarettes and cigars to their hearts content.

Today a woman smoking a pipe or a cigar certainly draws attention because It’s so uncommon and diverse. There are those that only do it because they wish to impress their mates and there are those that do it because they enjoy the taste and the relaxation it promotes.

In the US there is only one well known ladies pipe smoking club; The Ladies of the Briar. So well know that they have members from Europe, South America, Canada and Asia.

A note from a lady to boot… “

I am a casual pipe smoker but find both a cup of tea and a drink of tobacco from a clay pipe most relaxing. I am a re-enactor and collect antique pipes as a hobby. I do like Briars and Meerschaums but still find the clay pipe the best for a cool smoke. The bowls are just the right size for a lady. A 1964 study once showed that pipe smokers on average lived longer than the general population, but that study failed to control for social factors and did not include an adequate representation of pipe smokers to be considered sound. However, it should be noted that there are no studies that show how dangerous pipe smoking may be. I advocate moderation in all things.

-Beth Maxwell Boyle

Re-enactment actress, in 18th century costume.

Ladies Meerschaum pipe. Made in 2009 for the female market

By Christina de Barros