Fragment pijpenkop 740 - 1760

This is a fragment of a clay pipe bowl, made by Daniel van Hoorn. Smoking pipes like this one were common in the Netherlands and other European countries, often used for smoking tobacco. But let's think about what that tobacco represents: it was cultivated and harvested by enslaved people in the Americas, who were brutally exploited for profit. The comfort and leisure of those who smoked these pipes came at an immense cost, invisibly subsidized by the suffering of others. As you look at this small, broken object, consider the complex web of global trade and human exploitation it represents. Consider, too, how everyday objects can hold within them stories of both pleasure and profound injustice, reminding us to critically examine the origins and impacts of our own consumption.