Tobacco as Part of a Meal

Before tobacco was banished from tables in many restaurants and homes, smoking was a common meal accompaniment and in some circumstances constituted a course in itself, or at least a component of dessert. This page includes advertizements showing people enjoying cigarettes with their dinner and products designed to facilitate mealtime smoking and make it seem normal (what anthropologists refer to as the "material culture" of smoking), including some from my own collection of women's smoking artifacts.

left and center: segmented dishes with space for a meal, a cup of coffee, and - an ashtray! right: an ashtray with a cupholder and place for a pack of cigarettes

left: an ashtray in my china pattern, Wedgwood Florentine; right: "dinner matches"

music box/cigarette dispenser - entertains guests by playing "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" as it opens and closes

ads depicting smoking as an integral part of fine dining...

                        ...and not so fine dining                                   the tobacco industry promoted this connection but didn't invent it