In the seventeenth century, London experienced radical changes in its socio-political structure. The new world was in the process of colonization; the crown was gradually losing its power to the parliament and elite society was progressing towards further refinement. Snuffboxes, such as the one owned by collector Hans Sloane and exhibited in the British Museum, offer valuable insight into these changes through their association with politics and society. .
For a box to have a purpose in the practical sense, there needs something to be kept inside it. Following this logic, tobacco is indispensable for the snuffbox and an investigation of the former is imperative for our understanding of the latter. .
Tobacco was first popularized in London by Sir Walter Raleigh, who famously introduced the weed to Elizabeth I in 1600 by reputedly appearing one day with a pipe in his mouth. This historical introduction consequently laid the foundations of an eventful relationship between the crown and this new world crop. The political influence of tobacco can be seen in the crown's relationship with its first colonies. In 1624, James I devised a modus operandi to control his eponymous colony. He agreed to give the colony monopoly over tobacco but limited export to England, thus establishing binding reciprocity. This systematical relationship became a blueprint for British colonial policy and was later expanded to encompass the whole colonial system. .
Tobacco was influential in domestic politics as well. Following its introduction, tobacco percolated rapidly into society. In reaction to this threatening permeation, James I published "A Counterblaste to Tobacco," " in 1604, expressing his disapproval of tobacco by calling it "a custom loathsome to the eye and harmful to the brain." Arguably, the main propellant behind the treatise was domestic politics rather than dislike for the weed, considering James later endorsed its trade with Jamestown in 1624.
