Looking back to 500 years of the discovery of America and tobacco

9 October 2022

For now a little bit of nostalgia. Today, October 9, it is exactly thirty years ago that the largest exhibition on smoking ever opened in the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam. With generous sponsorship from the tobacco industry, yes that was just possible at the time, 500 years of tobacco culture opened. For the record: 1992 was exactly 500 years after the discovery by Columbus. Without a doubt the most beautiful tobacco and smoking exhibition ever held in the Netherlands. Even at that time our museum provided a large number of loans. It became the last exhibition in which smoking still seemed to have a positive aspect. The world has now changed, tobacco use now only has a bad smell. This is also noticeable in the museums: exhibitions on this theme hardly occur anymore.

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