A Salmagundi of Briar Pipe Shapes and Names: Difference between revisions

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Pipes come in vast array of shapes and sizes. From Classic English Shapes, to the more Free Formed Danish Shapes. It can be a minefield when starting out, so many shape names, which are often subjective and often cause augments [sic] with makers and smokers alike. …Many pipe makers and smokers disagree on the names of some pipes, these usually involve the Bulldog & Rhodesian shapes. For the purpose of this article i [sic] will use the same names that Dunhill and many UK makers use. …This is not a complete list, over 100 shapes and styles are produced world wide. Each country has its own styles and shapes. Many factories release limited edition pipe [sic], often in unique and unusual shape [sic] (gqtobaccos.com).  

“Tobacco pipes come in countless shapes and sizes, which can be simply overwhelming if you’re looking to buy one. Furthermore, they can also be made from a variety of material, each with their [sic] own aesthetics and characteristics. …There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of different pipe shapes and designs. Broken down into nine families” (bespokeunit.com). “More shapes and variations exist than can possibly be listed but there are some common, classic designs to be on the look for when check out pipe shapes. Two broad categories include straight and curved pipes with variations within these two categories. …Tobacco pipes come in a wide array of shapes, each with its own history, aesthetic appeal, and influence on the smoking experience” (thepipeboutique.com). “There is a large range of pipe shapes available on the market worldwide, and there can sometimes be a little discrepancy between pipe makers and smokers as to the shape names” (cigarsltd.co.uk).  

“Somehow, quite early in the history of briar pipes, the shape name came to be associated with the town bearing its name. It doesn’t really matter, I [Mark Irwin] suppose, whether it was a name used in an early pipe catalog or a name like the ‘dutch’ billiard coined by servicemen (petersonpipenotes.wordpress.com). “Even more recent artisan shapes, once they become common enough, generate a common name—blowfish, volcano, acorn and fig, to name a few” (“44. The Peterson ‘Bent Dutch’ Shape Name,” petersonpipenotes.org).  And fearsclave (pipesmagazine.com) agrees: “And some shapes are recent enough that we know their origins.”

This is from tobaccopipes.com. “Why Create this Guide? We are sure that many of you are wondering why in the world we decided to create this resource. The reason is simple: this is a field of pipe knowledge that is muddy and extremely full of varying opinions. If you go to two different local tobacconists and ask each to define a pipe shape, i.e., a Blowfish, you are likely to receive two different definitions of what constitutes the shape. The same is likely to happen online, you may find two completely different descriptions as to what a Blowfish pipe is. … You have most likely noticed a plethora of pipe shapes, styles, materials, and finishes by now. We understand how it may be a bit overwhelming.”

“Names like Apple or Brandy seem obvious from their shape, and we all know the origin of the shape name ‘Bing Crosby,’ but then there’s Dublin, Zulu, Billiard, Bulldog, Author, and others...and Poker…that are not so obvious. …Recently I showed a poker to a friend. The first thing he did was grasp it in his fist with the stem pointing away from him. He began making jabbing motions with it, saying he understood how it came to be called a ‘poker.’ That may be, but then there’s the game of poker, the poker fireplace tool, Poker is a surname of English origin, and there’s probably a place-name Poker somewhere as well. It got me wondering about other standard shape names” (brothersofbriar.com).

A few days ago, I started wondering about the history of the present-day array of pipe shapes. There seems to be some literature our there; clays, for example have been the subject of a lot of archaeological study. And some shapes are recent enough that we know their origins. Princes and Oom Pauls are the classic example of these, although I have to wonder whether the Oom Paul had been around longer, and just got nicknamed after Paul Kruger. But the thing is, somewhere between the briar’s arrival on the scene and the plethora of shape [sic] we have today, a whole bunch of shapes were developed, and it’d be really neat to know, say, when the Bulldog first appeared (and whether it or the Rhodesian came first). It’d also be kinda neat to know what was trendy when; what all the swellest young Victorians were smoking in 1859, that sort of thing. I’ve been Googling away at this, but either my Google Fu is weak, or this sort of information seems to have been lost in the mists of time. Which strikes me as too bad. (fearsclave, “History of Pipe Shapes?”, pipesmagazine.com).  

The pot is probably named after the standard cooking pot with a cylindrical shape. The brandy is clearly named after the shape of glass used to drink brandy which is tapered at the top to capture the fumes and enhance the sipping experience. The pot is probably named after the standard cooking pot with a cylindrical shape. The egg and acorn are shaped like those objects. The Dublin probably honors where these pipes were first made and/or were widely popular. The yacht/zulu ... I’d like to know ... maybe denotes the dashing shape, but like the author shape is probably a bit of good marketing. The bulldog? The diplomat? It seems creative carving always superseded discussion and recording of the invention of shapes. Ideas were passed along quickly in a see-do culture, with no one keeping journals or diaries of the process. How did the author shape edge into the diplomat, or vice versa, or the bulldog into the Rhodesian. Or the Calabash into the Dublin, and so on, and on. From the 19th Century (1800’s) on, pipe manufacture was highly competitive, so workshops were secretive about changes and innovation, and the visual appearance of pipes was one of the major ways to gain a competitive edge. Somewhere maybe there are diaries of one or two pipe carvers who also verbalized the experience and history of this, but little seems to have surfaced, as near as I can tell. Maybe a craftsmens’ [sic] ethic disdained and mistrusted talk and writing (“How Did Pipe Shapes Get Their Names,” pipesmagazine.org).

Some years back, I decided to do some research into the names of different pipe shapes, just to get a better understanding. This eventually led to my doing the ASP Pipe Shapes Chart. I don’t consider myself an authority on the subject, but I have studied a bit. For the new ASP website, I thought I might discuss some of the shapes in more detail. Arbitrarily, I decided to start with my favorite shape—the Billiard. …So, where did the name ‘Billiard’ come from? I haven’t been able to find a definitive answer. The best explanation I have heard so far was that at the time the shape was named, the game was very popular, so whoever came up with the name for the pipe shape named it after the popular game of the day. Maybe. Good thing the popular game wasn’t craps (“The Billiard,” pipedia.org).

This is yet another opinion about the billiard. “…basically the French “billard”/“billart” means a bent stick or piece of wood, or a cudgel-shaped piece of wood. In other words, if billiard (the pipe) is French in origin, it’s probably based on the shape of the basic briar pipe—i.e., straight, but with a shorter piece sticking out (i.e., the bowl)” (pitchfork, pipesmagazine.com). In French, a bent stick is un bâton plié, a piece of wood is un morceau de bois, and a cudgel is une trique. I have no rejoinder!

[T]here are three main theories, given here in reverse order of likelihood: the first, that smoking was permitted almost everywhere, including churches, in those dear lost days, and the long length and design of the pipe allowed it to rest on the pews; the second, that certain individuals, erroneously called churchwardens and trusted with guarding England’s churches in the 1800s, very much enjoyed their pipes and fancied the popular style, and the third, that real churchwardens (who by every official definition were not guards but honorary officers of local parishes or district churches entrusted with administrative and other minor duties) became known for their love of the pipe later named for them (rebornpipes.com).  

Simong (pipesmagazine.com) added: “Churchwarden—the pipes were that length so they could stand by a window, with their bowls outside so as not to molest the congregation with their smoke.”

In my judgment, the most relevant contribution is from Chuck Stanion (smokingpipes.com): “The Many Shapes and Styles of Tobacco Pipes.” I quote portions:  

You may have noticed that pipes appear in a large number of different shapes. One might even say that the number is infinite, especially when accounting for variations. Most traditional shapes, for example, can be straight or bent, with varying proportions, different stem configurations, different capacities, different balance, rounded or flat rims, varying curvature of bowl, length of stem—there’s no end to the differences possible with pipes.

For those who have no interest, they probably all appear the same. We tend to remember things emblematically, so those who are apathetic regarding pipes probably register any they see as ‘a pipe’ with whatever low-resolution image their particular brain uses to bookmark such concepts, just as some people might not see a difference in fishing poles, pens, or golf clubs. But those of us interested in pipes pay more attention to them and recognize the differences.  

With so many shapes, we need the vocabulary of names to distinguish between them, and we have a large vocabulary for that purpose—some might say an overabundance. But it’s helpful to know the differences, especially in the families of shapes that are most attractive to us personally.

It might be said that all shapes start with the Billiard and divert from there. The Billiard is the archetypal shape and the most traditional. From the Billiard spring other related shapes: the Lovat, Lumberman, Dublin, Brandy, Apple, Liverpool, Canadian, Chimney, Panel (aka Foursquare), and Pot, for example, and other variations extending from the original. Even Freehands might be said to be Billiards with complex carving instead of simple, rounded bowls… The names given to the various shapes are often pretty simple: Apples, for example, look like apples, Brandys look like brandy snifters, Horns look like horns. That makes them easier to remember, but it isn’t a perfect system. Liverpools don’t look like Liverpool or any other city, but many shapes are named more eponymously.

All these observations add to our knowledge and understanding, but none have tackled the difficult topic: how was this name assigned to this shape? Lots of folks have a general idea or an opinion about the origin of some traditional pipe-shape names, but no one seems to have a complete understanding of them all. This is not a criticism. It’s an observation.

More Questions Than Answers

Did you ever wonder why a particular name was chosen to describe a pipe, to personify its shape with an alluring nom de plume? I find that some names are imprecise, some don’t make sense, some defy explanation, and others are superfluous. Many are flights of fancy, spur-of-the-moment, capricious … an unusual assignment of labels or designations to particular pipe shapes. Are you able to conceptualize or envision a certain pipe image by its assigned shape name? Admittedly, a few, such as apple and brandy, seem obvious—a few are hybrids—but the others? I am not a member of The Words Matter Movement, but words do matter, even for the humble pipe. Dunhill’s Duke or Don shape looks like a setter or a tankard, and is often confused with the Friendly, the Poker, and the Cherrywood. Its Collector pipe looks very much like an apple. I’m not a Dunhill expert, but the company is now rather careful in its promotion. On its website: “Pipes types include Root, Bruyere, Rubybark, Cumberland, Shell Briar among others.” And its system of describing pipes is by shape, finish, group, and stock number, e.g., “Dunhill Chestnut Prince, Group 3 Pipe, #101-6688,” which leaves little doubt as what this pipe is.  

I don’t mean to denigrate Denmark’s Erik Nørding’s “freehand-wave” series, but I do take umbrage with his “Hunting 2011 The Brown Bear Rustic Fishtail pipe” and his “Hunting 2014 Crocodile pipe”; neither shape evokes a beast, but I am probably too literal. His latest, “The Compass,” is a cylindrical briar bowl with an aluminum stem, but I don’t expect it to indicate True North if I light it up. Of course, he can name his pipes anything he desires. Several makers in Europe craft fleur (flower) pipes, but none exhibit petals. I don’t know what is gained by the mystique of recent monikers. Maybe the first maker of a new-style briar pipe shape knighted it with an unusual or ambiguous name and everyone thereafter followed suit: craft a new, atypical pipe shape, author an appropriate name for it. Oops …author is a pipe shape.  

Three examples, chosen at random, should suffice to illustrate the issue. Todd Johnson is a very talented artisan pipe maker, but the names he gives to his pipes befuddles me. His “Phalanx Circumcized [sic], Long-Shank With Jadeite [shank ring]” is one example. In ancient times, a phalanx was a body of armed infantry, and everyone knows what circumcised means.  

Courtesy, zissistobaccopipes.com

The Yeti: Smooth Eskimo (374).  

Summary, Conclusions, and…

No one has a complete picture of the names assigned to briar pipes, no one knows the entire story. An exacting typology or classification system for today’s briars does not exist. There’s no industry pipe-shape-name playbook, nothing in print that approaches a comprehensive study. We’ve taken these pipe-shape names at face value; the names are too ingrained. The standards will prevail unless and until someone demonstrates a need to change them. Kim Tingley’s essay in The New York Times “Everywhere. Forever” (August 20, 2023) is about the per- and polyfluoroaroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals that are found in just about everything, sneakers and sanitary pads, pizza boxes and paint, furniture and fast-food wrappers, vinyl flooring and flamingos, and in hundreds of other everyday products. The CDC report conclusion about individuals exposed to PFAS caught my eye: “…insufficient evidence exists at this time to support deviations from established standards of medical care.” I have to say that this is also true about pipe-shape names.  

I did not find the Holy Grail, or the Delphic Oracle, or the Wise Man, or Darwin’s On the Origin of the [Pipe Name] Species. Just like the tragic history of the search for the Fountain of Youth, I suspected that I would be unsuccessful in my search for the fountain of tobacco pipe phraseology. But it certainly wasn’t a waste of my time to research. It was a novel idea seeking a plausible explanation. I enjoyed comparing what most pipe smokers, pipe makers, and pipe sellers know about these names, but I didn’t find what I was looking for: answers to those Rumsfeldian known unknowns. That doesn’t mean that they don’t exist. It means that I failed to find them. And if such a study exists, it might be found in the archives of the NPA or the Tobacco Merchants Association.  

Our community consists of many experienced experts and many more neophytes and learners who are trying hard to become as knowledgeable. Are there answers that no one knows the question to? (G_d, I hate to end a sentence with a preposition!) I don’t want to dramatize this topic, but if an explanation exists, if there are answers, finding them would be the Holy Grail of Briardom. Rick Newcombe wrote In Search of Pipe Dreams, but I doubt that anyone would undertake writing In Search of Pipe Names.  

Maybe it’s as simple as this: “And in the latter part of the [20th] century, advances in manufacturing and technology allowed for the creation of new shapes and styles of briar pipes, catering to the diverse tastes of pipe smokers around the world” (theeveningpiper.com). Writes  

Misterlowercase (pipesmagazine.com): “A similar book [like History of the Calabash Pipe] on the evolution and origins of briar pipe shapes would be totally fascinating.” I agree, but if not fascinating, it would at least be revelatory.  

What is evident is that some traditional shape-names and some of those assigned to contemporary artisan pipes have something in common: many do not evoke a vision … the word and picture do not agree. Many are simply misnomers. It’s certainly not an effort to misbrand or mislabel. It’s not akin to what’s been said about tobacco: “As the use of tobacco had increased, it had been adulterated in every possible shape” (William S. Walsh, A Handy Book of Curious Information, 1913).