Fragment pijpenkop 1750 - 1780

This fragment of a pipe bowl was made by Jan Houtam. During this time, tobacco smoking was extremely popular in the Netherlands, even among women and children. This ubiquity speaks to its normalization. There is a striking contrast between the daily use of such an object and the economic processes that supported it. The tobacco industry relied upon the labor of enslaved people and the exploitation of land in the Americas. How do we understand our relationship with commodities that carry such complex histories? This pipe bowl serves as a tangible reminder of the interconnectedness of global trade, personal habits, and the legacy of colonialism.