Snuff Box
PeriodCirca 1750 - 1800
Place MadePossibly England
MediumBronze, mother of pearl
Dimensions1 × 1.75 × 2.75 in. (2.5 × 4.4 × 7 cm)
ClassificationsAccessories, Men's
Credit LineGift of Samuel Craig Cowart, 1932
Object number169.2
DescriptionA bronze snuff box with rounded corners, featuring carved scrollwork around the top and small pieces of round inlaid mother of pearl. In the center of the box is an ovoid hinged lid, with inlaid mother of pearl.Curatorial RemarksSnuff is ground tobacco, often flavored or scented, and inhaled through the nose. The use of snuff can be traced to tribes in Brazil, who dried and ground tobacco. By the 17th century, snuff had made its way to Europe, where it became increasingly popular. Many people were convinced snuff had medicinal properties. Small containers, known as snuff boxes, were used to carry the powder, and were considered to be fashionable accessories, often constructed in precious metals, jeweled, and otherwise adorned. In America, the use of snuff fell out of favor after the American Revolution.NotesThis little snuffbox is connected with two fascinating characters in Monmouth County's rich history. The container is thought to have descended through one of Monmouth's early families - possibly the Craigs - who settled in the area in the late 1600s and early 1700s. The box's final owner was Freehold resident Samuel Craig Cowart, who was born in 1855. Samuel loved Monmouth's history, particularly that of the American Revoltuion and the Battle of Monmouth. Samuel attended the Freehold Institute as a boy, then graduated from Princeton University where he played football and studied law. He passed the New Jersey bar in 1879 and at his death in 1943 was said to have been the oldest practicing lawyer in the state of New Jersey. Samuel Cowart built a Queen Anne style home for his wife Florence and children on Court Street, within sight of the Battle of Monmouth Monument. Cowart donated the snuffbox to the Historical Association in 1932 along with a number of Craig family items including 18th century nails and shingles from the Craig farmhouse, still standing on the Monmouth Battlefield State Park. During the Battle, the Craig House served as a field hospital for British troops.
