Nice view titled Fumeurs d'opium - Dessin de  Kauffmann, d'apres des photographies de M. J. Thomson, from wood  engraving with fine detail and clear impression, nice hand coloring, overall  size is approx. 22 x 19 cm, image size is approx. 16 x 12 cm. From Le Tour du Monde, French 19th century illustrated exploration and travel magazine, which started publishing in 1860.

Opium den

An opium den was an establishment where opium was sold and  smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th  century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America and France.  Throughout the West, opium dens were frequented by and associated with the  Chinese, because the establishments were usually run by Chinese who supplied the  opium as well as prepared it for visiting non-Chinese smokers. Most opium dens  kept a supply of opium paraphernalia such as the specialized pipes and lamps  that were necessary to smoke the drug. Patrons would recline in order to hold  the long opium pipes over oil lamps that would heat the drug until it vaporized,  allowing the smoker to inhale the vapors. Opium dens in China were frequented by  all levels of society, and their opulence or simplicity reflected the financial  means of the patrons. In urban areas of the United States, particularly on the  West Coast, there were opium dens that mirrored the best to be found in China,  with luxurious trappings and female attendants. For the working class, there  were many low-end dens with sparse furnishings. These latter dens were more  likely to admit non-Chinese smokers.