Smokiana, un unusual name

The word ‘Smokiana’ refers to a book published in 1890. This work illustrates the wide variety of pipes that were assembled by Robert Pritchett, and drawn by himself in a most attractive style. The Pijpenkabinet collection in Amsterdam possesses a series of his original drawings that were used by the lithographers to realize the printing stones. The most interesting prints are exhibited in the museum entrance.

Since publication Pritchett's book was an important source for pipes and the smoking habits world wide. Not only for researchers, also for collectors who used his publication as a guide to assemble their collection. Nowadays these prints are sought after by collectors to illustrate the items from their collection.

Smokiana pipeshop in Amsterdam adapted the booktitle as its name because it offers a remarkable resemblance of unusual pipes from all over the world; antique pipes from meerschaum, briar, clay and porcelain, also ethnographic pipes from all over the world. Tobacciana such as tobacco jars, snuff boxes, cigar cases and cutters and cigarette holders do as well belong to the merchandise.

To complete the assortment Smokiana pipeshop also offers a large selection of modern pipes for smokers. With over 2,500 briars and hundreds of meerschaums and clays the selection is the largest in the Netherlands. As Pritchett's Smokiana was a travel though the smoking world in the ninetienth century, a visit to Smokiana pipeshop is nowadays as well a trip through the interesting culture of pipe smoking.