Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

[Johnny Lloyd]

All:

While doing research for period smoking items, I came across this attached image of Lola Montez- it appears she has a period hand-rolled cigarette in her hands!

http://patternedhistory.blogspot.com/2011/03/well-he-llo-mr-rochester-1840s.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Montez (for quick reference- be sure to verify since it is Wiki stuff)

This picture would probably be scandalous showing a woman appearing to smoke, I'd think.


Your thoughts?


-JLLO

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Lola was scandalous in so many other ways as well.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Lola was scandalous in so many other ways as well.

The picture says quite a bit, huh? ;)

I think this is unique since this is the first time I have ever seen a positively-dated pre-Civil War pic with what appears to be a woman smoking.

[AndrewGrim]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Unusual yes, but not a real surprise.

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

The picture says quite a bit, huh? ;)

I think this is unique since this is the first time I have ever seen a positively-dated pre-Civil War pic with what appears to be a woman smoking.

There's this, from The Physiology Of New York Boarding Houses, 1857:

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

From the work cited above, the accompanying text reads: "They, however, sometimes congregated on wintry afternoons in a gloomy old parlor appertaining to the larger and duller of the houses, where we once surprised a select party of three engaged in the consumption of cigars and hot brandy and water."

Later in the same book is this:

The accompanying text: Sometimes No. 3 condescends to ignite a cigar for some favored boarder, and even to apply her own lips to the same, returning it with much coughing and the assertion that she "quite likes it."

[Annette Bethke]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

I think it was very uncommon for a woman to have her photo taken with any kind of tobacco product. This one just happens to be of a subject that was outside the norm and enjoyed the shock and attention she could produce. She was a very interesting and tragic person; her house in Nevada City Ca. still stands. There is also a painting of her in one of the castles in Austria; she was a king's mistress as well as an actress.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

I have seen only this actual photographic image of this. Other than this, the period woodcuts you provide are it...

[Secesh]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Smoking among women of Hispanic descent (Californios) was very common here in California during the 19th century. The most common form of smoking was a hand rolled cigarrito.

[bizzilizzit]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?



This is a tissue stereoview of a, umm, lady smoking. The ash of the cigarette "lights up" when held to the light in a viewer.

[RNMCSA]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Ive seen at least one photo that I can think of off hand. It is a group of refugees with a loaded wagon and there is an old lady smoking a pipe. I read somewhere that pipe smoking was not all that uncommon with weomen.

[AndrewGrim]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Most of the references I have seen to Southern women dipping snuff are from shocked northerners.

[Coatsy]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Following with Andrew's thread, the first few covering chapters when the Federal army moves out of Atlanta in "Southern Storm" by Noah Trudeau have first hand accounts on the ladies dipping snuff. One officer recounts that he was in command of a picket post near a small dirt farmers home where. He and the lady of the house struck up a conversation outside on the porch, and he was amazed that she was dipping snuff.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

Ive seen at least one photo that I can think of off hand. It is a group of refugees with a loaded wagon and there is an old lady smoking a pipe. I read somewhere that pipe smoking was not all that uncommon with weomen.

Among southern women, yes. Don't know of northern women doing it, as a regular thing.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[David Fox]

Re: Period image of a female cigarette smoker?

And don't forget Andrew Jackson's beloved wife, Rachael....