Time for another installation of my 'I can't live without' series.
Earlier this week I came across an object in my local museum which completely fascinated me, a snuff box and the series of photographs next to this little box which seemed to be the box's use within a mysterious man's daily life.
Quick information on snuff. Snuff is a very old form of tobacco consumption, sniffed through the nose, though the method is not so popular these days and snuff and their respective containers are become harder to find.
I was curious to learn more about who this man in the photographs might be and upon asking the curator I learnt the man's name was William Reyonlds, a business man whole lives here in Reading with his wife, teenage daughter and young son. Eager to learn more about this box the museum was able to put me in contact with Will, here is some of our conversation below.
I think this little box is stunning, how did you come across it?
It was my father's, he started using snuff in his earlier twenties, like his father before him who was the one who gifted him this box on his 22nd birthday. My father kept the box with him until the day he died though he had stopped using snuff 10 years before. I still remember watching my father sit in his armchair every night preparing the snuff for the following day so keeping the box with me was a natural comfort after me father passed a few years ago.
Do you take it everywhere?
I never leave the house without it! It's like a good luck charm.
But you don't use snuff?
No, never have, but I keep tobacco in it for the smell, it trigger amazing memories of my father.
How did it come to be photographed?
A photographer friend of mine, Carly Rodgers knew well of my routine and history of the box and was keen to capture my connection with it.
Well she certainly did a fantastic job! How did the photos end up in the museum and how did they convince you to leave the box there?
It's actually a replica! I couldn't part with it no matter how safe I knew it'd be. The display is part of an exhibition in the museum about forgotten objects that used to be a common place in everyday life. Carly worked with Alex Brodie to create all the imagery for the exhibition.
A big thanks to Will for answering all my questions!
Carly Rodgers - www.carlyrodgersphotography.com
Alex Brodie - www.brodiephoto.com
