Antique Stanhope cheroot/cigar pipe

[Mrs Bloom]

I have done research on this subject and learned much about Stanhopes. Stanhopes are miniature microphotographic lenses that were produced from the mid 1800's onwards. Microphotography was invented in 1839 by John B Dancer. The Stanhope lens was invented by Charles, 3rd Earl Stanhope. (1753-1816). Rene Prudent Patrice Dagron (1890-1900) was granted the first microfilm patent in history on June 1, 1859 . He combined the Stanhope lens with a microphotograph to form a single miniature magnifying unit. He inserted these in novelty items and established a mail order business, In 1862 he opened a factory to make the lenses in Gax, near Switzerland.

This item has been in my family's possession for many decades. Mom thought it belonged to her dad, who passed away in 1939. She inherited from her Mom in 1973 and I inherited it from her in 1989.
I have been unable to find another like it for comparison. It appears to be a handcarved wood pipe and is missing the stem. The bowl is small, about 1/2" in diameter and I was told it is a cheroot/cigar pipe. It is 2 1/2" in length. It has, below one of the claws, a Stanhope lens with a photo of 2 fully nude women, and judging from the backround, perhaps early 20th century.
I tried to get a pic of that microphoto and only partially succeeded. The actual picture itself is clear as a bell!. I have been unable to come up with a value on this unique specimen. Any insight would be appreciated.

 

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[Mrs Bloom]

Just bringing this back to the top

 

[diggummup]

My opinion only...

Though Stanhope's are very interesting they are not particularly rare as far as the images go (with the exception of the originals). The pipes are not quite as common as some of the other trinket type items they are found in. The value of your item would be based on the actual quality of the pipe itself, as well as the subject matter of the Stanhope photo. Your pipe appears to be a decent talon carving in good condition. The bad part is the stem is missing. The photo being a "nude risque", would help increase the value. I think you are correct on the age and I believe it dates to the 1920's-30's. I would judge the value somewhere around $50-$100, the higher est. value if you could find a stem for it.

 

[mile-ender]

At the right auction, I could see it going for a good deal more then $50-100. WestLicht Photographica Auction , stanhopemicroworks MarketPlace Sub Department Catalog Page
You've got tobacciana and photographic, rolled into one.

 

[diggummup]

At the right auction, I could see it going for a good deal more then $50-100. WestLicht Photographica Auction , stanhopemicroworks*MarketPlace Sub Department Catalog Page
You've got tobacciana and photographic, rolled into one.

You are correct, it is a cross collectible. However, I'll stand by my estimate. If you go bypast auction records you will see that i'm in the ballpark. This includes the auction link you provided as it pertains to tobacciana related Stanhopes. Beside the fact that there is a big difference in a carved Meerschaum and a carved wood piece, if you read the description for the "Leda and the Swan" pipe, you will see that the photograph is signed by Dagron as in Rene Dagron This makes it an original and much more desireable, hence the higher price realized. It's all in the details.

Stanhope lenses were manufactured for more than 100 years and have been recently reintroduced into the marketplace today by Stanhope Microworks (the 2nd link you provided), where you can have the photo of your choice custom made and inserted into the object of your choice.

The Stanhope lens was invented by the British scientistand politician Lord Charles Stanhope (1753–1816), but it was a Frenchman named René Dagron (1819–1900) who developed the microphotographic lens and commercialised the Stanhope Peep. In 1862, Dagron established a small factory to make Stanhope Peeps, which he sold in Europe and America.

 

[Mrs Bloom]

Thanks diggumup and mile-ender for your comments. Now I have a clue : )