Sexy Smoking Stuff

Why and how did sex and tobacco become so closely intertwined in pop culture? I'll look forward to readers speculating on that one. Me, I'm just a simple researcher, and today I'm sharing the results of my strange voyage into the world of erotic tobacciana.

This will be split into three parts: Ashtrays, Tobacco Cards and Labels, and finally Pipes, Lighters and Miscellaneous.

From Sex and Cigarettes, part of Gloria's Erotic Art Friday series. (Which you know I love.)

If I had to guess why about connection, past my earlier babblings, I'd say that smoking is an adult passion -- not for the kiddies (well, at least not any longer -- now kids can't even see a smoking cartoon character).

It's a drug which affects mood and that must account for some of it... And tobacco is a luxury. Even before the taxes and current prices, tobacco has always been prized and honored; even used in religious ceremonies.

I'd guess that the more you loved and valued your tobacco, the more you'd want lovely valuable places to hold and use it. It would seem natural for humans to want to create art on the objects which were affiliated with smoking, and the nude female form and other elements of eroticism would seem a natural fit.

Most of the pieces Gloria has shown were also from the days when men smoked in the parlor and other "Men Only" places, only encouraging decadent thought...

Also, many of the ashtrays in particular were also set out in clubs, bars and casinos, which often have adult themes -- the vintage ones with pinups etc. are quite the norm for matchbooks which bars gave away. Drinking and smoking lead to sexy babes.



In a case of 'great minds,' Deanna's also been on the tobacco road. On Monday she wrote Up In Smoke: The Vanishing Culture of Tobacco.

(And of course I posted my additional ashtray pics this week too.)