Tea for Two: British and American Tea Traditions

"Tea tempers the spirit, calms and harmonizes the mind; it arouses thought and prevents drowsiness, lightens and refreshes the body and clears the perceptive faculties."

– Lu Yu 780 AD

British and American tea traditions share Chinese roots. First touted as medicinal, tea drinking flourished in the West when it became social. This social activity took place in the home, and women of every class participated. Men may have entertained their guests at the dining table or out at the tavern or coffeehouse, but the parlor and all its tea equipment was the domain of women. Tea expanded the realm of female consumerism into silver, porcelain, and furniture for the home. This tea equipage, as it was then called, may have included a hot water urn and a teapot for the table, and a teacup, a saucer, and a plate for bread and butter for each guest. The teaspoon, small enough to fit in a cup, soon came into being. A well-appointed table also included a caddy to store the tea, a sugar bowl and tongs, a cream pitcher, and a waste bowl for the dregs.

The tea tables and display cases in this gallery showcase the finely-crafted tea services that once belonged to local Savannahians. The popularity of tea drinking had a direct connection to the growth of the British pottery and porcelain industry and the prosperity of such companies as Lowestoft, New Hall, and Rockingham. American merchants imported and sold British-made porcelain ware. British and American silversmiths also designed and made complete tea services to satisfy their discriminating tea-drinking customers.

This exhibition is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Cyndi Sommers, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts.