Cruikshank Snuff Box Circa 1820's at South Coast Antiques & Gallery in Ocean Springs, MS.

Cruikshank Snuff Box Circa 1820's

This is an 1820s wooden japanned snuff box, large but thin to fit into the coat pocket of gentlemen of the period with a decoupaged image on the front.  Originally, decoupage was created using colors and varnish over a print, known in England as “The Art of Japanning” in the 1700s, copying the lacquer work of Japan and China.  That’s why this box is black and red, simulating oriental pieces.  It shows men playing cards and attended by a liveried servant bringing drinks, a copy of George Cruikshank’s A Game of Whist.

Detail of Life in London Image

The picture is a reference to a scene from the smash hit play Tom and Jerry or Life in London by William Montcrieff, which  ran at the Adelphi Theater in London from 1821 to 1823, which itself was based on a popular 1821 book by Pierce Egan called Life in London or Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom.  The popular drink “Tom and Jerry” was created by Egan in the early 1820s to promote his book.

Compare Original  Cruikshank Print to the Snuff Box

This snuff box was probably sold inside or outside the theater where the play was showing.  The play was highly popular and later ran for years after the Adelphi show closed and even was playing in New York by the middle 1820s.  As a side note, this play had a part for African-American Billy Waters, who was a colorful street person.  Now over 180 years after the book and play the only thing left is the drink, Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters and a snuff box.

Inside Snuff Box

Inside Lid

 If one would like to read the original book by Pierce Egan called Life in London or Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom, both it and it's squeal are available at Project Gutenberg.

This snuff box is currently on view and available at South Cost Antiques & Gallery in Ocean Springs, MS

Georgian Irish Snuff Mull at South Cost Antiques & Gallery

This extremely fine snuff box is made of from the hoof of the Irish Red Deer, circa 1810.

Produced to hold snuff and set on a desk or counter, large snuff mulls like this were prestige items to show the owner’s wealth and hospitality.  The top is worked in silver wire piqué work saying “Red Deer Hoof, Killarney with a shamrock in the center surmounted with a deer over all.  The text is situated to be read while holding the snuff mull, but is inverted when setting on a table.

The Irish red deer were becoming very scarce in the 1820s and by the Irish Famine of 1845-1847, they were driven to near extinction.  Only the area of Killarney harbored herds of red deer.  By the 1860s their numbers dropped to only 1,500 in all of Ireland.  Protection and careful maintenance of the deer brought the deer back from extinction when there were only 60 deer known in 1900.  Now, while still endangered and elusive, the Irish deer number in the hundreds.

This Irish red deer hoof snuff mull was made at a time when trophies were taken by the wealthy on estate lands and given as gifts between lords.  This piqué work snuff mull is nearly perfect despite being around 200 years old.  This rare Irish snuff mull is currently available at South Cost Antiques & Gallery in Ocean Springs, MS