Cigarette Use in 1880s London

[YankeeSergeant]

I know this sounds like a stupid question but just how prevalent was cigarette use among men is 1880s London? I know cigarettes were around and available by the 1860s but had they gained popularity amongst men by 1888? A minor descriptive point in my novel hangs on it. Thank You all,

[Limehouse]

This might be of help to you Yankee

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/english/aboutus/newsroom/archived08/the+big+smoke.htm

Good luck.

Julie

[YankeeSergeant]

Cigarettes

Julie, Thanks so much! It's helps me avoid a minor rewrite but more importantly confirms that cigarettes were quite prevelant. Thanks again!

[miss marple]

mARPLE

Hi Yankee,
Check out Robert Opie and his museum of advertising and packaging. He is the world expert on VICTORIAN ADVERTISING and over many years has amassed an incredible collection I used to have one of books with stunning adverts, some of cigarettes and tobacco. As a general rule in the 1880s working class men smoked pipes, upper class men hand made cigarettes and cigars. Opie would know when papers and rolling your own started and when mass manufacturing of cigarettes became commonplace. A few very racy women [ actresses and upper classes]smoked in the 1880s sobranies and turkish. Cigarettes were much smaller then. by the size of cigarette cases.
Miss Marple

[ChrisGeorge]

This might be of help to you Yankee

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/english/aboutus/newsroom/archived08/the+big+smoke.htm

Good luck.

Julie

Thanks, Julie. It takes a bit to wade through since the webpage provides a general survey of smoking from the first introduction of tobacco to Britain in the mid-16th century but here's the part that is pertinent to the 1888 period:

"From the 1880s machines were pumping out cigarettes at a rate of 300 per minute – tobacco companies used advertising to encourage mass consumption of this product and a national cigarette-smoking habit was born."

Chris

[YankeeSergeant]

Tobacco

Thanks, Julie. It takes a bit to wade through since the webpage provides a general survey of smoking from the first introduction of tobacco to Britain in the mid-16th century but here's the part that is pertinent to the 1888 period:

"From the 1880s machines were pumping out cigarettes at a rate of 300 per minute – tobacco companies used advertising to encourage mass consumption of this product and a national cigarette-smoking habit was born."

Chris

Thanks Everybody! that puts me on much firmer ground for the novel.