Cigarette Case 1890 - 1900

Curator: The shimmering surface of this "Cigarette Case," made by Tiffany & Co. between 1890 and 1900, immediately strikes me. What’s your take? Editor: I see a compelling tension between industrial production and handcrafted detail, it seems rather modest and utilitarian at first glance, but the chaotic swirls of gold tones also feel quite luxurious. Curator: Absolutely. Tiffany was marketing to a rising American middle class. Owning something like this spoke to aspirations of elegance but also fitted in perfectly with new social rituals centered around leisure. Editor: Can you elaborate on "rituals"? Does the materiality—presumably metal—play into that at all? I am curious to consider it as a signifier of class. Curator: Well, the portability of cigarettes really changed social gatherings. People could now smoke anywhere. Items such as cigarette cases allowed middle-class smokers to express social status by using them as decorative items and this case embodies that duality. The metalwork does offer that promise of modern refinement through ornamentation and form. It looks quite simple, rectangular but embellished. Editor: It's interesting to think of it not just as an object of luxury but a social facilitator and signifier of belonging within a changing landscape, also in the narrative that emerges, I do notice something about abstraction. While abstract in a way, is this design referencing other, perhaps natural, forms of decorative swirls that can relate to class? Curator: Perhaps there is a natural element; there’s certainly an organic feel in how the lines flow, moving away from strict geometrical order. Maybe the association with smoke adds a subversive element, hinting towards the transgression. I like thinking about it as a social commentator for the period. Editor: Right, almost an artful paradox contained in a simple container. And I can imagine someone pulling this out in an important social scene! I can walk away from this pondering class performance and societal expectations.