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Dunhill: Difference between revisions
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With the advent of the First Great War in July 1914, many of its customers ended up in the trenches of northern France, where Dunhill sent boxes of tobacco<ref name=jcl1>Loring, J. C. (1998) The Dunhill Briar Pipe - The Patent Years and After, The Beginnings (pp. 5-6). Chicago: self-published.</ref>, pipes and hygiene items<ref name=balfour13>Balfour, Michael. (1992). Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (p.66). London, Weidenfield and Nicolson.</ref>. Alfred sent the sealed boxes, declared and labelled "castor oil", which smelled strong and penetrating, to avoid miscarriage and ensure that it reached the front<ref name=balfour13>Balfour, Michael. (1992). Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (p.66). London, Weidenfield and Nicolson.</ref>. Inside the box, in addition to the courtesies, Alfred suggested in a letter that some items would be shared with other officers. Invariably, these items were part of the parallel trade that existed in the theatre of war. In addition to French – obviously, there were Americans, Canadians, and Belgians (among others) in the region. The confluence of these factors favoured the diffusion of the brand around the globe. | With the advent of the First Great War in July 1914, many of its customers ended up in the trenches of northern France, where Dunhill sent boxes of tobacco<ref name=jcl1>Loring, J. C. (1998) The Dunhill Briar Pipe - The Patent Years and After, The Beginnings (pp. 5-6). Chicago: self-published.</ref>, pipes and hygiene items<ref name=balfour13>Balfour, Michael. (1992). Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (p.66). London, Weidenfield and Nicolson.</ref>. Alfred sent the sealed boxes, declared and labelled "castor oil", which smelled strong and penetrating, to avoid miscarriage and ensure that it reached the front<ref name=balfour13>Balfour, Michael. (1992). Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (p.66). London, Weidenfield and Nicolson.</ref>. Inside the box, in addition to the courtesies, Alfred suggested in a letter that some items would be shared with other officers. Invariably, these items were part of the parallel trade that existed in the theatre of war. In addition to French – obviously, there were Americans, Canadians, and Belgians (among others) in the region. The confluence of these factors favoured the diffusion of the brand around the globe. | ||
The company grew exponentially | The company grew exponentially over the course of the First World War(Dunhill’s production increased by a factor of more than 15 times). It is estimated that in 1914 Dunhill had sold 10,000 pipes, jumping to 30,000 in 1916, 134,000 in 1918 and 276,000 in 1921<ref name=sdt>Sheffield Daily Telegraph (March 11 1922). Mr Dunhill's Action Against Wolf Brothers. England: Johnston. Press[https://pipedia.org/images/d/db/Sheffield_Daily_Telegraph_%28March_11_1922%29.jpg]</ref>. In 1923 the international demand was gigantic, resulting in the creation of an exclusive export department. Dunhill also initiated numerous partnerships with Cuban cigar manufacturers ([[Dunhill Cigars]]), selling exclusive brands<ref name=cigars>Cigarfan (2015). Cigar Reviews - Dunhill Heritage Robusto. Retrieved 2 March 2020 from [https://cigarfan.net/2015/11/14/dunhill-heritage-robusto/ Cigarfan]</ref>. With the success of his store in London, he expanded to New York in 1921 and Paris three years later. | ||
[[File:Cigars.jpg|thumb|right|210px| Selected Cigars ([[Dunhill Cigars]])]] | [[File:Cigars.jpg|thumb|right|210px| Selected Cigars ([[Dunhill Cigars]])]] | ||
[[File:Cigars2.jpg|thumb|right|210px| La Flor de Lorenz ([[Dunhill Cigars]])]] | [[File:Cigars2.jpg|thumb|right|210px| La Flor de Lorenz ([[Dunhill Cigars]])]] | ||
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<q>Alfred Dunhill’s most revolutionary innovation was the Shell pipe in 1917. How this technique of sandblasting came about is somewhat of a mystery. The story often told is that Alfred Dunhill went down into his basement in the wintertime to make a couple of pipes and accidentally left one, a half-finished piece, by the heating boiler. He returned sometime next summer, having suddenly thought of the pipe, only to find some of the grain had ‘shrunk’, leaving a relief pattern. Obviously, this is apocryphal, probably resulting from the ‘shrunken’ look that sandblasts (especially the gnarly ones of that era) frequently have. Some say the name “Shell” came from the | <q>Alfred Dunhill’s most revolutionary innovation was the Shell pipe in 1917. How this technique of sandblasting came about is somewhat of a mystery. The story often told is that Alfred Dunhill went down into his basement in the wintertime to make a couple of pipes and accidentally left one, a half-finished piece, by the heating boiler. He returned sometime next summer, having suddenly thought of the pipe, only to find some of the grain had ‘shrunk’, leaving a relief pattern. Obviously, this is apocryphal, probably resulting from the ‘shrunken’ look that sandblasts (especially the gnarly ones of that era) frequently have. Some say the name “Shell” came from the shrivelled look the pipe took on after the sandblasting process. Alfred realized Algerian briar, then considered inferior, could be used in this new process. The softer wood could be ‘blasted away’, leaving behind only the harder briar and the beautiful natural pattern of the wood. Originally, the Shell pipes were not stamped because the sandblasting technique, not yet been refined, made recognizing the standard shape much more difficult. Though the Shell finish certainly did not arise from accidentally forgotten pipes in the cellar, it was definitely an important innovation on Dunhill’s part. | ||
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Another new technique ended up ensuring the quality of Dunhill pipes. Before the sandblasting process, Dunhill would have the Algerian briarwood bowls immersed in olive oil for several weeks. | Another new technique ended up ensuring the quality of Dunhill pipes. Before the sandblasting process, Dunhill would have the Algerian briarwood bowls immersed in olive oil for several weeks. Afterwards, they were left to dry, with the excess oil being occasionally wiped off. This method was originally developed for aesthetic reasons, but it turned out that the oil caused impurities to be forced out of the wood, resulting in a faster curing process. A further consequence of this process was the briar became incredibly durable, making the occurrence of burnouts much less frequent.</q> Smokingpipes.com[http://www.smokingpipes.com/pipes/new/dunhill/history.cfm] | ||
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