“My parents-in-law had a tobacco shop that they started here in 1941, and after the war it also functioned as a post office,” he said. He and his wife took over the shop in 1969, and still reside upstairs. Bracco Gartner was always interested in history, and in the 1970s was offered a bucket of clay pipes excavated in Delft. “That’s how my collection started. I’m now chairman of Stichting Nederlandse Tabakshistorie and an authority on pipes. I advise archaeologists since I’m able to date and identify them,” he said. In 2004 the shop was closed and the museum was opened.
The range of items Bracco Gartner has relating to the consumption and production of tobacco is vast. From pipes, spittoons, tools and snuff boxes to packaging, ads and literature. One of his clay pipes dates back to 1590. “I have 20,000 objects and 1,200 books in my library,” he said. “The collection is never complete.” There are not only items showing the history of tobacco in Delft and the Netherlands, but from places all over the world such as Africa, Burma and Thailand. Just a portion of the private collection is displayed. Bracco Gartner’s favourite piece is a white stone pipe embellished with gold leaf from pipe makers Sparnaay. “The biggest pipe collection in the world is in Amsterdam, and they don’t have this, but I do!” he grinned.
Visits are by appointment only at Van Bossestraat 4 – see tabaksmuseum.nl for details.
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