Dunhill: The Suffragette Movement County (2313) (13/18) Tobacco Pipe

Outfitted with one of the White Spot's iconic book-style leather cases, Dunhill's Suffragette Movement is a limited edition release which celebrates the efforts and successes of England's own women's suffrage movement. For much of the United Kingdom's electoral history, a woman's right to vote wasn't explicitly codified into law until the Reform Act of 1832, which outright banned them from voting. After 71 years of repression, England's women had dealt with enough, and the Women's Social and Political Union was founded in 1903. Led by Emmeline Pankhurst, the WSPU rallied against injustice through their actions, and what followed was over a decade of marches, demonstrations, protest, and intensifying militant action against politicians and government officials. The government responded by throwing around 1,000 women in prison, where their protests continued through hunger strikes that were met with force feeding. As the years wore on and the outbreak of World War I sent Europe into chaos, the women of the WSPU refocused their efforts toward the war. This shift in focus positively affected public opinions of their plight and, in 1918, property-owning women over 30 were granted voting rights, rights that were further expanded into full suffrage in 1928.

In celebration of such a victory and in honor of the 120th anniversary of the WSPU's founding, Dunhill presents a unique take on the "13" bent Apple, seen here as the "2313." Nestled inside its purple-toned case, this piece boasts a lengthy, tapering stem as denoted by the "3" in the second slot of its shape code, extending the reach of the pipe and affording it a gracile look. This arrangement enhances the sleek look of the tapering stem and affords the silhouette a comfortable smoking posture and elegant poise, additionally balancing the visual weight of this pipe nicely. The most striking element of the stem, however, is its utterly unique material, being made from a specially commissioned purple cumberland whose vibrant tones immediately set this series apart from Dunhill's other works. The stummel here is tightly-knit, with a compact plumpness present throughout, its bowl resting on a rounded heel and growing soft, curving walls to a low-set waist before tapering to the rim. The bowl's forward cant here infuses the pipe with a sense of dynamism, and it places emphasis on the curling, gently tapering shank which lifts out of a tight transition at the aft to meet the stem at a domed silver military mount etched with the phrase "SUFFRAGETTES 120 YEARS." Included in this set is a special tamper made entirely out of sterling silver and styled after a suffragette protest sign that reads "VOTES FOR WOMEN" below a trio of precious gems: an amethyst, a diamond, and an emerald, the purple, white, and green color scheme calling back to the colors adopted by the women's suffrage movement in England. This particular piece is serialized out of 18 total examples made in the County finish.