Tea Drinking in 18th-Century America: Its Etiquette and Equipage: United States National Museum Bulletin 225, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology Paper 14, pages 61-91, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1961Roth, Rodris
History
Tea Drinking in 18th-Century America: Its Etiquette and Equipage: United States National Museum Bulletin 225, Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology Paper 14, pages 61-91, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1961
Roth, Rodris
Tea -- United States; United States -- Social life and customs -- 18th century
One sett Burnt [china] Cont[aining] 12 Cups }
& Saucers Slop Bowl Tea Pot Milk Pot }
boat [for spoons] tea Cannister Sugar Dish } [£]20
5 Handle Cups plate for the Tea Pot & a }
wh[i]t[e] Tea Pot Value }
One set Blue & white do. contg. 12 Cups & }
saucers Slop Bowl 2 plates Sugr. Dish }
Tea Pot 6 Handle Cups & white tea Pot } [£]10
Value }
In addition, the Pemberton inventory lists a silver tea pot and "1 pr.
Tea Tongs & Strainer," items that were undoubtedly used with the
ceramic sets.[48]
Tea sets were even available for the youngest hostess, and the "several
compleat Tea-table Sets of Children's cream-colored [ceramic] Toys"
mentioned in a Boston advertisement of 1771 no doubt added a note of
luxury to make-believe tea parties during playtime.[49] The pieces in
children's tea sets, such as the ones pictured from a child's set of
Chinese export porcelain (fig. 6), usually were like those of regular
sets and differed only in size. Little Miss Livingston must have been
happy, indeed, when her uncle wrote[50] that he had sent
... a compleat tea-apparatus for her Baby [doll]. Her Doll may
now invite her Cousins Doll to tea, & parade her teatable in
form. This must be no small gratification to her. It would be
fortunate if happiness were always attainable with equal ease.
The pieces of tea equipage could be purchased individually. For
instance, teacups and saucers, which are differentiated in
advertisements from both coffee and chocolate cups, regularly appear in
lists of ceramic wares offered for sale, such as "very handsome Setts
of blue and white China Tea-Cups and Saucers," or "enamell'd, pencill'd
and gilt (fig. 12), red and white, blue and white, enamell'd and
scallop'd (fig. 13), teacups and saucers."[51] These adjectives used by
18th-century salesmen usually referred to the types and the colors of
the decorations that were painted on the pieces. "Enameled" most likely
meant that the decorations were painted over the glaze, and "penciled"
may have implied motifs painted with a fine black line of pencil-like
appearance, while "gilt," "red and white," and "blue and white" were
the colors and types of the decoration. Blue and white china was,
perhaps, the most popular type of teaware, for it regularly appears in
newspaper advertisements and inventories and among sherds from colonial
sites (fig. 7).
[Illustration: Figure 12.--Cup and saucer of Chinese export porcelain
with scalloped edges and fluting. The painted decoration of black
floral design on the side of the cup is touched with gold; the borders
are of intersecting black vines and ribbons. (_USNM 284499; Smithsonian
photo 45141-D._)]
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