Continuing tradition in the Senate chamber is the maintenance of two small snuffboxes, adorned with Japanese figures. In the early 19th century, a large snuff urn was kept in the Old Senate Chamber on the vice president’s desk, and senators could help themselves unreservedly to a pinch of snuff. During the duration of vice chairman Millard Fillmore, this snuff urn got replaced with the 2 Japanese snuff boxes. According to the assistant Doorkeeper Isaac Bassett, the frequent interruptions due to members approaching his desk for snuff so troubled Fillmore that he asked Bassett to remove the urn. Bassett subsequently placed the two lacquered snuff boxes at opposite sides of the room. Today, these boxes are joined to a ledge flanking the soapbox in the current Senate chamber. While the custom of taking snuff in the chamber has vanished, the boxes still contain snuff, as per this Senate tradition. The snuff box is not resorted to in nowadays as in olden times. In olden times it was trendy for senators to take snuff. Martin Van Buren was very keen on a dash of snuff, and sometimes even used chewing tobacco. The VP had a gold snuff box filled and placed on the desk each morning the Senate was in session. It only took fifty cents to refill back in those days. When the vice presidency was over, Van Buren left his chair, grabbed the box and put it into his pocket. Among many signs of change in the country and the Senate, one in particular appeared to hold attention, the taking of snuff. As gentlemen’s fashion move in snuff to dutch master cigars, and recognized as a aspect of change in the institution. To this day, a remnant of this earlier tobacco fashion remains, the 2 snuff boxes in the Senate Chamber.
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