Monday 19 December 2011

A revised history of the Kapp & Peterson brand .

Until recently very little was known about the early history and the emergence of the Kapp and Peterson pipes as a brand. The following erroneous information was previously quoted widely in many publications as being the factual version of the firm's early beginnings.

“The Nurnberg brothers Friedrich and Heinrich Kapp, whose elegant Dublin tobacconist first opened for business in 1865 on Grafton Street, Dublin could scarcely have dreamt that they would participate in the birth of a legend.
Friedrich & Heinrich, who christened their shop simply 'Kapp Brothers', soon made a name for themselves making and selling quality Meerschaum and Briar Root pipes.
It was not long before Charles Peterson, a large young Latvian immigrant from Riga, walked into Kapp Brothers Grafton Street premises armed with a revolutionary pipe and ambitious plans for the future, declaring that he could make better pipes than they could. Armed with an imaginative flair for pipes and a craftsman's background. There and then, Peterson suggested that the brothers go into partnership with him to turn his pipe dream into the world's dream pipe. They agreed and Peterson not only proved himself correct, but became the third partner in the fledgling firm. The company was renamed Kapp & Peterson.”

Not much more factual background information was known about the Kapps or of Charles Peterson. How the business evolved and progressed,their family lives,when did they retire,where and when did they die. Why was there few, if any accurate factory records for this period ?
The difficulty has been separating the myth and legend from the true historical facts.
There are few, if any verified accurate historical references, that is until now!!


The research work currently being undertaken for the new book, has brought forward many new exciting historical surprises, in regard to this early period of the Kapp and Peterson story.
I can assure all Peterson enthusiasts that the much more thorough detail which we now have for this period,to be published in the forthcoming new book ('The Peterson Pipe Chronicles'), will rewrite the previous inaccurate historical information and help clarify the true K&P Time-line. 



5 comments:

  1. I'm eagerly anticipating the publication of _The Peterson Chronicles!_ It will remedy the paucity of historical detail accessible heretofore regarding Peterson of Dublin, and it will furnish Peterson enthusiasts a wonderful point of reference encapsulating the ingenuity and character that endears Peterson pipes to their devotees.

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  2. *endear (Even if no one agrees, at least the nouns and verbs do!)

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  3. Thank you Bryan for your support,I hope that the book matches your expectation when published.

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  4. I used to buy pipe tobacco there as a student in the late 60s do look forward to the book.

    DF

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  5. If I find a pipe with a "K & P" stamping on the silver band, is it something special?

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