Hi All, I’ve been re-reading my snuff book collection and one thing that seems common, is that all seem to have a section on ‘famous snuff users’. Being that most of these books are from the 1800’s, I was wondering if anyone has a more recent list of famous snuff users? I’ve recently added a piece on Charles Darwin’s snuff use to Snuff Store, but obviously that’s hardly recent - a BBC radio presenter has in his CV that he worked for the The Society of Snuff-Grinders, Blenders and Purveyors. In Patrick Allen’s obituary it states that he accepted honorary membership of the Society of Snuff-Grinders, Blenders and Purveyors, having lectured more than 1,000 people on the joys of taking snuff. I know that it was originally rumoured that Zuka Snuff tried to get David Hockney to front their launch, but nothing was mentioned about his actual snuff taking habits… So does anyone else have any more recent ‘famous snuff takers’ to add to the list? Tim Snuff Store
Stephen Fry is a snuff taker.
I can’t think off hand of any 20th or 21st C. snuffers but one 19th C. snuffer you can add to your list is the great Austrian romantic composer - Anton Bruckner. Bruckner snuffed whilst his contemporary, Johannes Brahms, chewed on cigars. Wagner offers a pinch of snuff to Bruckner
The British actor Sean Bean is a snuff taker. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000293/
Hi All Stu90 - I like the idea of Sean Bean being a snuff taker. I suppose due to the Sharpe series and all the snuff taking in it during the Napoleonic Wars. Very rugged. I had him down as being a smoker - what with his gravelly northern accent. Walrus1985 - Stephen Fry eh? Fantastic… Another actor luvvy! I thought he was great in the various Black Adder’s. Proboscis - That Wagner image is amazing! Filek - Is there a web link for the Polish Prime Minister’s snuff taking hobby? A World leader as a snuff taker… BrownNoser - Yes, very famous. I am a legend in my own lunchbox too! I’ll collate a list from the snuff books I have of historic snuff takers and add it shortly to this thread.
Filek that photo is excellent! Don’t worry about your English, it’s good - it’s much better than my Polish!
Helmut Schmidt took snuff, I remember seing him take a big dose of Gletcherprise on TV once - it was less than elegantly done and he got most of it on his face - moral: don’t use the back of the hand method when on international TV I have a good friend who was at RADA with Mr Bean, I’ll ask him if he took it then the next time I see him.
Also, Darwin - online.org.uk has some fascinating biographical stuff by his son where he describes his father’s habit and attempts to limit his intake. These included keeping the snuff in a jar in the hallway of his large house and later keeping his snuff with a neighbour! Basically to make it inconvenient to take…
NoseBag, I wanted to say congratulations. You have really put together one heck of a shop. Great snuff selection along with a good selection of snuff related accessories. Every time I turn around it seems I get a email newsletter showing your adding something new.
So did St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, St. Vincent dePaul, St. John Bosco, St. Joseph of Cupertino, et al, and at least a half a dozen Popes. There’s a cute story about Pius X. "Pius X, like so many men of his time, had the occasional fancy to use powdered tobacco, otherwise known as snuff (St. Padre Pio was also fond of this form of tobacco). One day his personal physicians in an effort to inform him of health problems stemming from the use of snuff reminded him that his predecessor Leo XIII gave up his snuff habit towards the end of his life, Pope St. Pius replied, “Come back and see me again when I am ninety-three, that’s when I’ll give it up!” original article Leo XIII was fond of Ettan Swedish snuff which he used for nasal snuff, irregardless of what Swedish Match implies in their ad copy. His Holiness had to get special permission(a dispensation?) from Knut Llunghof, the owner of Ettan, to import the snuff into Rome.
@FIlek: Zakładam, że to Kaszubska tabaka… jaka ona jest, wiesz? In english (I suppose it’s a Kaszubian snuff… do you know, what it is like?)
He did take snuff in at least one of the Doctor movies, also in “Against the Wind” the WW2 spy drama. I also remember him playing a particularly blood thirsty pirate who was fond of a pinch from a chased gold box between rapine and plunder, but I can’t remember the name of the movie. Never saw “Whisky Galore”.
Re #8 Apparently Kashubians start taking snuff at a fairly early age. See the bottom photo: Kashubian snuff Maybe somebody who actually understands Polish could take the time to translate this and the related article on snuffboxes. The one on boxes is really hilarious even thru a web translator.
@snuffgrinder: I will try to spare some time for translation of that article. It is pretty hard even for me as a native speaker of Polish.
@Filek: Tylko z jednej połowy. Tato pochodzi z Siedlec, ale żyjemy w Czechach, bo mama jest cześka. Mam nadzieję, że jak będę następnym razem w Polsce to się tej tabaki dorwę, Jakie likery są używane? Ziołowe, vodka, czy coś zupełnie innego? @snuffgrinder: There are some info about production you could be interested in. Apart from that nothing really interesting. Btw. there’s a discussion about promoting young people snuffing (reffers to that picture).
I think that I already have the basic information. Doesn’t look like snuff making techniques have changed appreciably. See post #4 in this thread: Snuff exchange thread.
i am famous. i use snuff. am i in?
Actually Napoleon Bonaparte was known to have used 7 pounds or roughly 3 kg a month!! Thats 84 pounds or 38 kg a year.
Yeah,that would explain 3kg/month
I think he probably shared a lot with his fellow man as well… Maybe even took some orally along with snuffing, and sprinkled it on his food like powdered bran.