Spittoon

This may seem like an unseemly topic to discuss, but the object in question is a part of our history and, interestingly enough, can still be found today.  The spittoon (spitoon or cuspidor), pretty much like it sounds, is a vessel to spit into.  Yeah, kind of gross to us now-a-days, but back during the pioneer times of our state spittoons were a common sight and were used by both rich and poor.  Thelma Linam Webber had multiple examples of spittoons in her collection, showing just how important these vessels were despite being extremely commonplace.  Thankfully she had the foresight to keep something so common which can now be found in the Museum in the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection.

Spittoons were widely popular when chewing tobacco was in its height in the United States, mainly from the late 1800s to about 1920.  People used spittoons for two kinds of spit:  spit from chewing tobacco and the spit from people with tuberculosis.  Eventually, tuberculosis patients were encouraged to carry personal pocket spittoons that had a lid rather than use the public spittoons.  Spittoons, in either case, were encouraged because spitting in spittoons was considered better manners and more hygienic than spitting on the ground or floor which used to be the custom.  Spittoons could be found almost everywhere:  public spaces such as banks, saloons, and general stores and even in private spaces like homes.  Spittoons could be as plain or as decorated as you can imagine and would be made out of everything from brass (most common) to iron to cut glass and porcelain.  The use of spittoons declined around World War I partly because of the flu epidemic of 1918 and partly because cigarettes were seen as more hygienic.

Surprisingly enough, spittoons are still around today at wine tastings.  Rather than drinking all of the wine and becoming intoxicated, many tasters will sip their sample and spit it into the spittoon.  USA Today also tells us that the Supreme Court Justices each have a spittoon by their side; though today they are used more for trash than anything else.  Our own spittoons from the Virgil and Thelma Linam Collection are not on display but you can learn more about the Old West when you visit the Western Heritage Museum Complex and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.  As an aside, check out “Brass Spittoons,” a poem by Langston Hughes at http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177395.