Tabacology

19 February 2021

The Amsterdam Pipe Museum collection has had a department for Tabacolgy for years, in addition to clay pipes, archaeology, ethnography, etc. It is a nice term to refer to all objects that have to do with tobacco, or in a broader sense, with smoking. In fact, it is a neologism, a newly invented term, perhaps not even an official word. All of a sudden, something strange is going on. The word tabacology appears to have acquired a different meaning in neighbouring countries. In Belgium and France in particular, unnoticed the term is commonly used for the “medical study on smoking addiction” or “counselling for smoking cessation”. It is even an official university study. Now that is not something that a museum with historical objects around pipe and tobacco wants to be involved with. So as a precaution, to avoid confusion, we have replaced our beloved term tabacology with tobacco curios, subdivided into European or ethnographic. The collection is no less interesting!

Ice skating on the canal

12 February 2021

So far we could hardly call it a winter, but since this week it is really freezing cold. For the first time in several years, skating is possible again on the canal. That produces beautiful pictures like this one of our museum from the ice. Wondering how long the winter fun will continue.

APM now also on Instagram

1 February 2021

We thought news items on our website and presence on Facebook were sufficient so far, with an energetic intern, new channels of communication are opened. Today we are launching the first post on Instagram. This platform for photos and videos is very similar to Facebook, but it is more visually oriented. Our collection contains so much unexpected footage that we can continue for ages in posting something new. Jesse sets the tone for our museum with his personal choice.