Kaolin pipe, stem fragment
- Title:
- Kaolin pipe, stem fragment
- Collection:
- Selections from the Cornell Anthropology Collections
- Donor:
- Prof. Emeritus Robert Ascher, one of the principal excavators
- Date:
- ca. 1800-1850
- Site:
- Cumberland Island,Camden,Georgia,United States
- Location:
- Cumberland Island,Camden,Georgia,United States
- Country:
- United States
- ID Number:
- Anthr1983_002_0054_01
- Old Catalog Number:
- 983.2.54
- File Name:
- Anthr1983_002_0054_01.jpg
- Culture:
- antebellum
- Work Type:
- equipment for personal use: smoking and tobacco use
beads (pierced objects) - Materials/Techniques:
- ceramic (material)
kaolin pipe-clay - Subject:
- slavery
georgia
plantations
georgia
georgia
clay tobacco pipes
beads - Measurement:
- 26 x 7 (millimeters, length x diameter)
- Description:
- Stem fragment of a kaolin (white clay) tobacco pipe. These pipes were made with stems from a few inches to a foot or more in length, and tradition has it that the end would be broken off when shared so that the smoker has a fresh bit (or perhaps more likely, the prevalence of broken pipestems simply reflects their fragility). In the context here, these pipestem fragments may have been curated for use as beads. Archaeologists use the bore diameter of collections of pipestems to calculate the age of the collection, but the small collection size and likelihood of curation in a slavery context makes that less useful here.
- Bibliography:
- Robert Ascher and Charles H. Fairbanks, "Excavation of a Slave Cabin: Georgia, U.S.A." Historical Archaeology 5 (1971), pp.3-17.
- Archival Collection:
- Georgia Slave Cabin archaeological collection
- Format:
- Image
- Rights:
- The images in the Collection 'Selections from the Cornell Anthropology Collections' are protected by copyright, and the copyright holders are Cornell University Library and the Department of Anthropology. Physical artifacts from the Cornell Anthropology Collections were photographed by Cornell University Library in 2012-13 for inclusion in this image collection. Cornell is providing access to the materials for research and personal use. The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.
Cornell would like to learn more about items in this collection and to hear from individuals or institutions that have any additional information. This collection is funded by an Arts and Sciences Grant to Frederic W. Gleach, Curator of the Anthropology Collections. Please contact him for more information about this collection, or to request permission to use these images.