Summary

This clay tobacco pipe was excavated during on of digs conducted at the Commonwealth Block site between 1988 and 2003. It was manufactured by Thomas White & Co, Edinburgh, who made pipes between 1823 - 1876.

A pipeful of tobacco was long-lasting and its aroma disguised the stench of Melbourne's streets. The short clay pipe favoured by working men was called a 'cutty'. Being made of brittle clay, these pipes broke easily, explaining the abundance of fragments uncovered at Little Lon. Of the pipes excavated, many were decorated with slogans, patriotic symbols, even jokes and caricatures, hinting at the identities of those who smoked them.

Physical Description

One French pipe: Moulded leaves underneath and makers mark. One plain pipe with spur, probably Glasgow. One stem and mouthpiece, Davidson Glasgow. One stem fragment Birmingham. One stem decorated diagonally with repeating squares and ovals. Stem and mouth.

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