Kiki Smith first used the model of a tailbone in a 1993 bronze multiple she made to benefit Printed Matter. New York. The use of the tailbone as a subject corresponds to an over-arching interest in the body and anatomy which dominates a great deal of her work. In 1997. Smith re-conceived the bronze tailbone multiple as a functional edition, changing the medium to lead crystal glass and determining its utility as a paperweight.

Each piece is signed and numbered by the artist.