Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Our Treasures: Museum staff discover 19th-century 'spittoon' in archives

Natalie Brookland
By Natalie Brookland
Northern Advocate columnist·Northern Advocate·
23 Jul, 2019 01:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

This close up photo of the spittoon shows some of the craftsmenship involved in its creation. Photo / Supplied

This close up photo of the spittoon shows some of the craftsmenship involved in its creation. Photo / Supplied

Disgusting, vile and revolting are words used to describe the act of spitting.

To refrain from spitting in public is a common courtesy in many areas of the world, but you'll face a hefty fine and possibly even jail time if you are caught spitting in countries where it is illegal.

Nowadays it's often seen as an action of anger and disrespect, but it hasn't always been the case. In the past spitting was a socially acceptable habit in Europe. Far from being frowned upon, spitting was even encouraged in etiquette manuals and receptacles to catch such expulsions were once commonplace.

It was only recently that Whangārei Museum staff came across one such container, bewildered as to its function or origin. Located among an array of floral vases and urns, the brightly glazed, green stoneware vessel looked somewhat out of place, being much older than those surrounding it and of a very different shape. After closer examination it was identified as a late 19th-century "spittoon", provenance unknown.

The spittoon in the Whangārei Museum collection, Kiwi North. Photo / Supplied
The spittoon in the Whangārei Museum collection, Kiwi North. Photo / Supplied
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Often associated with chewing tobacco, these containers, also known as "cuspidors", were prevalent from 1840 to 1918, though they've been in use in Asia for centuries. Used for catching spittle, they could be found both inside and outside of public places and private homes.

Instead of smoking tobacco, many Victorians turned towards chewing tobacco which was sold in bricks or twists. As a result of the growing number of people who chewed tobacco, spittoons or cuspidors became a common sight during the 19th century. Once a fixture provided in hotel lobbies, railroad stations, banks, barber shops, business offices, court rooms and saloons, they reflect the widespread tobacco habits of a previous era.

Spitting was an accepted practice, and the production and maintenance of spittoons were businesses in themselves. Spittoons proliferated and embodied every sort of design and material from the perfunctory to the bizarre, from the durable to the fragile. They came with a multitude of finishes too, from the brightly coloured Majolica glazes like that of the museum's spittoon, to the plain-metal finish of mass-produced railway receptacles.

This image from the 1893 Handian company catalogue shows purchase details for spittoons and cuspidors. Photo / Supplied
This image from the 1893 Handian company catalogue shows purchase details for spittoons and cuspidors. Photo / Supplied

Designed with a low profile, spittoons were intended to sit on the floor and usually had a weighted base to avoid being accidentally kicked or tipped over, while cuspidors were often more erect. Some containers had a hole in the side for pouring out the accumulated spittle while others had the simple top opening for dispensing the vial and rank contents.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Chewing tobacco and the use of spittoons was not restricted to the male domain, who also carried personalised pocket receptacles or sputum cups, similar to small metal or glass flasks.

Victorian women, perceived as prim and proper were not excluded from this habit, also partaking of the noxious plant. They would discretely expectorate the tobacco juice into a tastefully decorated, feminine "ladies' spittoon" produced commercially, which indicates there was more than a slight demand for such utensils.

Discover more

Whangārei 'Garden of Auckland' in the mid-late 1800s

02 Jul 11:10 PM

Collecting botanical specimens a popular pastime

09 Jul 12:30 AM

The pump - where would we be without it?

16 Jul 02:00 AM

Our Treasures: Fitting tribute to hand cultivator company

30 Jul 02:00 AM

There was a certain repugnance at the habit of public spitting so the use of spittoons and cuspidors was considered an advance in the control of this revolting custom.

After the 1918 flu epidemic, both hygiene and etiquette advocates began to disparage public use of the spittoon altogether. Eventually deemed unsanitary, the use of these receptacles had considerably declined by the end of the Edwardian era.

Vast numbers of old metal spittoons met their ends in the scrap drives of World War II while others no longer used for their original purpose were utilised as flower vases, their low squat shape perfect for table centrepieces. Perhaps that is why the museum's spittoon ended up where it did!

• Natalie Brookland is collections curator, Whangārei Museum at Kiwi North.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Fans flock to Māori All Blacks, Black Ferns pre-game signing event

04 Jul 04:50 AM
Northern Advocate

Farmer's neglect: Emaciated stag was trapped in fence and thick mud, other deer were dead

04 Jul 02:57 AM
Northern Advocate

Police investigating after person suffers injuries in alleged Whangārei assault

04 Jul 01:57 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Fans flock to Māori All Blacks, Black Ferns pre-game signing event

Fans flock to Māori All Blacks, Black Ferns pre-game signing event

04 Jul 04:50 AM

With over 9000 tickets sold, organisers are expecting big crowds at the double-header.

Farmer's neglect: Emaciated stag was trapped in fence and thick mud, other deer were dead

Farmer's neglect: Emaciated stag was trapped in fence and thick mud, other deer were dead

04 Jul 02:57 AM
Police investigating after person suffers injuries in alleged Whangārei assault

Police investigating after person suffers injuries in alleged Whangārei assault

04 Jul 01:57 AM
Kaipara confirms 8.3% rates rise, including targeted fee for local museums

Kaipara confirms 8.3% rates rise, including targeted fee for local museums

04 Jul 12:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP