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The interesting thing to me about Dunhill is that it's not just a brand of cigarettes. It's a "lifestyle" brand that also sells perfume, wallets, bags, tie clips, keychains, clothes, shoes, belts, everything. How did it start? And how do other cigarette brands compare? https://t.co/kT1AaKLryf
We begin with Mr. Alfred Dunhill [1872–1959]. He was born in Hornsey, London, and his father ran a saddlery in Euston Road (picture unrelated). Seems like the critical part of the story is, Alfred witnessed the rise of the automobile, and modified his dad's biz to meet it https://t.co/OuiUp3vHCt
Just for some quick context matching – the late 1800s and early 1900s were an interesting time. It's easy in the 2000s to forget how radical automobiles must have been when they were first introduced – exciting, noisy, very steampunk. A whole new world https://t.co/YXqvAql8sr
Fun fact: the birth of psychoanalysis was contemporaneous with the development of Daimler's petrol-driven motor-car. The British Medical Journal carried an editorial, "The Therapeutic Possibilities of Automobilism". I think late night drives have validated that idea...
Alfred Dunhill obviously saw an opportunity here – he must've had a background in leatherworking (having apprenticed at his father's saddlery), and he saw that he could use that to help fashion an new aesthetic around the glamor of motoring (The Face Shield: A Luxury for Ladies) https://t.co/vYE9yow3KC
Yup. He was in the right place at the right time with the right skillset, and made a bold bet on the aesthetics of motoring. This led to him having some interesting customers and clientele – Winston Churchill, Somerset Maugham, PG Wodehouse https://t.co/ayGt0C6yTz https://t.co/CimDGHVJh6
So, okay. Surfing the horse to automobile transition makes a leatherworker rich. Where does the tobacco come in? (I really like this picture – there's a certain early 1900s British aesthetic that I've repeatedly wished would come up more in movies and video games) https://t.co/eqiUtUTzCh
According to CigarFan dot net (possibly a biased source, lol), it all began with his "Shield Pipe", a pipe designed to be smoked on the move. Will have to verify this against other sources, but it does seem plausible. https://t.co/46eDsYwWEg https://t.co/viprgYB6CO
Fun anecdote: "In 1922, Mr. Alfred Dunhill took out a patent for an interior light for bags, which he had developed to allow his wife to apply her lipstick with ease during ballet performances." A thoughtful gentleman https://t.co/2xBr5XnoUM
"Fuck the police." – Alfred Dunhill (Alfred was allegedly one of the first motorists, possibly *the* first, to be prosecuted for the charge of "driving furiously" at 25 miles per hour. He was fined one pound – which in 2019 would be ~US$150.) https://t.co/AqJmNPYxxb
A timeline 1893: inherited dad's business, soon rebranded to Dunhill's Motorities 1902: Shop at Mayfair opened (high-status/luxury) 1904: launched the windshield pipe 1907: opened small tobacconist's shop (pic?) The target market: wealthy shoppers who wanted bespoke services https://t.co/HtYtJQpWkE
there was a time where pipes were common, and then(?) a time when pipes and cigarettes co-existed. And then eventually, pipes mostly died out. In the pipe-smoking era, there were tobacconists – and they would blend your tobacco for you. classy candy stores for nicotine addicts https://t.co/2Vse9UxPbW
Alfred was described as being a consummate professional with a flair for sales and shopkeeping – a man of insight, taste, sensitivity and obsessive perfectionism. He kept meticulous records of the blends that his customers enjoyed in his "mixture book". (Take notes, ya'll.) https://t.co/KHCpNSA9nB
In 1921, Dunhill received a royal warrant to be tobacconist to Edward VIII, Prince of Wales – who would be King in 1936. He abdicated the throne to his younger brother, George VI. So he was... Elizabeth II's uncle. Pics: 1912, portrait 1919, colonel 1937, Hitler 1970, Nixon https://t.co/q0mpincvmW
In 1912, Dunhill introduced the "white spot trademark", which is a simple, clever and memorable bit of branding that endures to this day. It takes a certain conviction and confidence to keep your branding this minimal https://t.co/dI3oQzoo84
In 1927, Dunhill launched the Unique lighter, which several sources are saying "was the first lighter to be operated using just one hand". This seems improbable to me, but maybe it's true? A version of it was used in License To Kill (1989). James Bond nerds got us covered here🤓 https://t.co/Ht5OCPYH61
Oh interesting, I love this sort of detail – the first prototype of the Dunhill Unique lighter was allegedly mounted on a Colman's mustard tin. Looks believable https://t.co/V0Zf4CF9eK
This is my favorite part of spelunking on the Internet – just found the blog / site of a Dunhill lighter enthusiast. "There used to be an inside joke that Americans were happy with 14K gold because we don't have as much class as the British." I ❤️ nerds https://t.co/bF2pUOQFSC https://t.co/9wCdy6NXy2
Here's another guy who collects lighters and Do Not Disturb signs https://t.co/81fvvK6KJS (This temporary detour is just to celebrate nerds. I'm a nerd too; I collect internet trails instead of lighters. It's not about accumulating stuff, it's about the joy of discovery) https://t.co/kICO9TwngD
OK, so the story so far is – Alfred Dunhill, charming saddler's son, supplier of motorist aesthetics, became a popular tobacconist to wealthy high status folks. Then what? How do we get from there to here? What is here? What is Dunhill like in 2019? (Japan, NYC, UAE, Singapore) https://t.co/V5bpr11dBA
Alfred Dunhill retired in the 1928 and passed the business on to his son Alfred Henry Dunhill. Finding information about Alfred Henry is a little harder, strangely there doesn't seem to be a Wikipedia page about him. He died in 1971 aged 75, and was succeeded by his sister Mary https://t.co/VS6F3qCQj6
Now Mary Dunhill we seem to know more about! She was trained as a hairdresser, and started her own perfume and cosmetics company in 1934. She died in 1988. "Ms. Dunhill joined the board of Dunhill Holdings in 1944, explaining ″they were rather short of men.″ https://t.co/jOUZlfXLsB
Mary's book isn't particularly famous (I'd never heard of it) but of course, there are pipe-smoking bloggers who had to read it. 😂❤️ I might have to get a copy for myself now, if I can find one. Her nephew Richard took over the company after her https://t.co/dCobBfCs2j https://t.co/tVW0ApZz5n
1981 People magazine article claims "Churchill, FDR, Sinatra, Kissinger, Sammy Davis Jr and Anwar Sadat" all smoked Dunhill tobacco Richard Dunhill (grandson of Alfred, nephew of Mary) owned 30 pipes himself; his wife Pat smoked menthol cigarettes https://t.co/Y0GWMi6ff2
I found the transcript of a Daily Mail article in alt.smokers.pipes from 1998: Dunhill and the downhill path to attempted murder; A DYNASTY IS STAINED WITH ITS OWN BLOOD AS HEIR LIES IN HOSPITAL Very yikes :-\ https://t.co/cXDmtfjUO0
