52 for 150: What's So Special About Your Library's Chinese Snuff Bottle Collection?

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It's week 46 of our Kansas sesquicentennial video series and also National Drug Facts Week, so we thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at our Chinese snuff bottle collection. Snuff is a smokeless tobacco containing nicotine made of ground tobacco leaves. It is inhaled-or "snuffed"-through the nose. The Chinese believed that snuff possessed medicinal qualities and was an effective cure to dispel colds, cure migraine, sinus and tooth pain, relieve throat trouble, cause sweats, counter asthma, constipation, headaches, stomach disorders, and many other illnesses.

[@rgarlinyc]

I wanted to collect these as a young teenager, but my parents soon snuffed that venture out. Told me to bottle it.

[@pinguaqua951]

Thanks for sharing the information

[@taogem]

Great video !

[@juansparks5070]

Your first bottle is says the year of Qian Long period. About around 1775. The empire died when he was 89 years old.

[@tonycashmore9585]

I want to buy such a small bottle, and have special decoration put on it. How can I find an artist in China who could provide such a bottle, and decorate it to my request? Tony. Shenzhen.

[@tonycashmore9585]

I want to buy such a small bottle with special decoration. How can I find an artist in China who can do that for me? Thank you for your interest. Tony. Shenzhen.

[@traynice9633]

I have one, how much is one worth, it made from bone?

[@arescraft]

Chinese did have pockets, it's inside their cloth and sleeves.

[@stompbing3873]

wrong, they used bottles because the weather was damp and humid.

[@stompbing3873]

bottles were a status symbol? obviously, since only prestige nobility could afford snuff. do some research please.