Ashtray

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A typical glass ashtray

In the days when smoking was still permitted in public buildings, ashtrays were fixed to the walls in corridors at regular intervals. Those ashtrays often had removable parts for easy cleaning, as shown in these examples from the ORF Funkhaus (opened in 1938) in Vienna, Austria.

This Googie (Populuxe) example circa 1950 demonstrates that historically, ashtrays have often been designed to serve more than their utilitarian purpose to rise to the level of objects of decorative art. This ashtray was designed by the industrial designer Maurice Ascalon and manufactured by the Pal-Bell Company.

An ashtray is a receptacle used by smokers to deposit the ash and butts of cigarettes and cigars.

Many ashtrays feature three notches at the edges, two of which correspond to the width of a cigarette and one to that of the diameter of a cigar. These notches serve as rests for the cigarette(s) or cigar while still burning. The simplest, most common ashtray design is that of a circle with a hollow cylindrical rim around a flat surface, similar to a drinking container such as a glass or cup but larger in diameter and much more shallow.

However, this is not the only design of ashtrays: they are widespread homeware, therefore designs are plentiful and occasionally kitschy. Other variations include car ashtrays, and those in toilets or other public places, provided by councils for the purpose of keeping towns and cities clean. In Spain, some ashtrays consist of two interlocking parts, the bottom of which is filled with water to extinguish ash and mute its smell.

Ashtrays are typically manufactured from glass, stoneware, porcelain or metals such as silver or aluminium; however, some are made of wood, marble, or clay.

Some ashtrays are branded with the logo of a company (such as a cigarette manufacturer) for the purpose of promotion. Ashtrays of the late 1940s to early 1970s were freeform vehicles for Googie styling.

As part of a table setting during the 1950s and 1960s, small personal ashtrays were commonly placed on the top right-hand side, behind the wine and water glasses.

In countries with rapidly declining numbers of smokers, such as Sweden and others which have recent passed anti-smoking legislation, ashtrays are found in large quantities in second-hand shops and flea markets, seeing little demand. An ashtray filled with ash and butts is often used as a symbol in marketing and public information for bad health and unhealthy lifestyle.