Images(11)

Pipe Tongs

Date1750-1800

OriginAmerica

MediumIron and steel

DimensionsOverall: 22 3/8"

Credit LineBequest of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Hennage

Object number2020-319

DescriptionSpring-closed pipe or ember tongs of the usual form for the period with chamfered, punched, and filed decoration. Its curved pick and tamper, affixed to the top arm above a hidden hinge, pierces the lower arm and helps guide the closing of the tongs. The round-sectioned forward portion of the arms curve crisply outward and terminate in pad ends.Label TextAn essential tool for the colonial era smoker, such tongs were used to lift glowing embers from a brazier or fireplace to a tobacco-filled pipe bowl. Some were miniature versions of common fire tongs while others took on an elegant form like this example. Its arms are kept closed by a stout spring which helps prevent the dropping of a hot ember and the hazard such an accident could bring. One arm is set with a nail-like feature which serves as both a tamper for packing the tobacco into the pipe bowl, and a pick for cleaning out the burnt remains.

Based on the more ornate tongs made in Britain during the first part of the 18th century, American versions appeared by 1740. Sometimes made by skilled gunsmiths, they included decorative features like artistic filing, punchwork, and engraving.