Normalisation and Ambivalence: Tobacco in the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Republic

Abstract

This article questions the normalisation of tobacco use in the seventeenth-century Dutch Republic. The investigation shows that our present cultural ambivalence towards the intoxicant goes back to tobacco's early introduction. The integration of tobacco use as an essential element in social rituals was situated on a line from general acceptance to social deviance. Tobacco use was successfully integrated in existing settings of alcohol use. However, because of the origins of tobacco use among specific social groups such as seamen, associations with deviance and marginality remained an inseparable element of the Dutch landscape of tobacco use.

Smoking histories: a bioarchaeological approach to tobacco consumption in two skeletal populations from The Netherlands (1300-1829 CE)

“…As tobacco has been historically considered a male habit, our second hypothesis was that we would observe higher rates of evidence for tobacco consumption in males than in females. As noted by Snelders ( 2021 ) and Brongers ( 1964b ), in the post-medieval period female tobacco use was often associated with immoral behaviour. For example, smelling of tobacco was presented as making women (but not men) sexually unattractive, and the presence of women in public spaces where tobacco was consumed was generally associated with prostitution (Snelders 2021 ).…”

“…However, our data attest that non-pipe-related tobacco use may have been present in Vlissingen well before 1600 CE, indicated by the presence of dental staining, suggesting that tobacco was indeed already a commonly used intoxicant before the introduction of clay pipes. This is especially interesting because, according to Snelders ( 2021 ), the first European tobacco users were likely seamen who used to roll dried tobacco leaves in a palm leaf and set it on fire to smoke it. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Vlissingen (and Zeeland in general) had strong trade relations with the Amazon region, where tobacco grew naturally (van Cruyningen 2012 ).…”

“…headaches, toothaches, intestinal worms), and later as an intoxicant (Fraga 2010 ; Goodman 2005 ). Unlike other trade substances in the Netherlands, such as coffee and sugar, the spread of tobacco did not originate from the higher socioeconomic classes; instead, it started with seamen and lower-class individuals who would gather in port inns and taverns to smoke after work (Snelders 2021 ). By 1630 CE, the habit of consuming tobacco had permeated across all strata of society, establishing itself as a significant commodity within the national and international market.…”

“…By 1630 CE, the habit of consuming tobacco had permeated across all strata of society, establishing itself as a significant commodity within the national and international market. According to historical sources, what truly allowed tobacco to become such a popular commodity in less than 50 years was the emergence of the pipe-maker business in 1609 CE (Brongers 1964a ; Snelders 2021 ). Pipes likely provided a more efficient and enjoyable way to consume tobacco compared to other methods available at the time (e.g.…”

“…Despite its popularity across all socioeconomic classes, just a few years after its introduction tobacco seems to have become exclusively associated with men (Brongers 1964b ). While the habit of smoking was largely tolerated and, in some contexts, encouraged among men, according to many historical sources tobacco use was considered distasteful and immoral for women, often linked to overt sexuality, prostitution, and unappealing attributes (McShane 2021 ; Snelders 2021 ). While Brongers ( 1964b ) argues that Dutch women (particularly those from rural areas) have consistently engaged in some degree of smoking, the predominant belief that tobacco use was mainly associated with men prevails to this day, often coupled with limited historical documentation specifically focused on women (McShane 2021 ).…”