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William Henry Chandler's Spittoon

 Item — Box: 0054.47, Item: 02
Identifier: 0054.47.02

Scope and Contents

0054.047.02 Spittoon Chandler's Students Made Him a Ceramic Spittoon William Chandler was a cigar smoker but he understood enough about safety that he didn't smoke in the lab when teaching experimental chemistry to his students. Instead he chewed tobacco and spat into the laboratory sinks. As a subtle hint that his students (in the academic year 1875) didn't approve of his use of "chew" or of his spitting in the sink, they fabricated this pottery spittoo , engraved a death head upon its rim [even in 1875 there w re "hint': in the pubhc literature that tobacco use was unhealthy], and signed the1t names m the wet clay around the barrel before they glazed and baked the spittoon. Chandler took the hint. He used the spittoon, not the sink. This artifact was retained in the department after Chandler's death and passed down as a treasured remembrance until gifted by the departmental historian to the University archives in 2018.

Dates

  • Date Not Yet Determined

Extent

From the Collection: 150 Linear Feet (53 boxes, misc. items, various frames)

Language of Materials

English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Lehigh University Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Lehigh University
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Bethlehem PA 18045 USA
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