Designs for Decorating Tobacco Boxes
1751-1769
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-414-4
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Designs for Decorating Tobacco** *Viriclix, active 18th century, 1751–1769* *Print; Smithsonian American Art Museum* Created in the mid-18th century the enigmatic printmaker Viriclix,Designs for Decorating Boxes* captures the ornate world of colonial craftsmanship. This print served as a practical template for artisans adorning tobacco boxes—small, portable containers for snuff or pipe tobacco, a staple of daily life and social ritual in America and Europe. Tobacco, a booming export from the American colonies, fueled not just economies but also a burgeoning culture of luxury goods, wher...