Smoker, circa 1920

01

Artifact Overview

The Funsten Perfect Smoker allowed trappers and hunters to flush furry animals from the safety of their dens. Hunters filled the long canister with flammable material (sometimes sprinkled with sulfur powder) and then lit it, creating smoke that is puffed into a burrow. Funsten Brothers & Company, a leading trapping supplier established in the late 1800s, sold this smoker.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Bellows (Fire controlling equipment)

Date Made

circa 1920

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

2022.0.22.380

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Metal
Leather
Paper (Fiber product)

Color

Brown
Gray (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 5 in
Width: 8 in
Length: 37.5 in

Inscriptions

on maker's plate: MADE BY / FUNSTEN BROS. & CO. / LARGEST / DIRECT HANDLERS OF / RAW FURS IN THE WORLD / ST. LOUIS, U.S.A. on paper label: DIRECTIONS FOR USING / FUNSTEN PERFECT SMOKER / Cut a strip of old cloth or burlap about [missing]or 9 / inches wide and about 30 inches long. Sprinkle with / the Sulphur powder, then roll it up, but not too / tightly; place it in the Smoker. [...] / FUNSTEN BROS. & CO. / LARGEST DIRECT HANDLERS OF FURS IN THE WORLD / ST. LOUIS, U.S.A.
Smoker, circa 1920