Tea was introduced to Britain in the 1650s. Its popularity burgeoned over the following two-and-a-half centuries, until it became a defining feature of British culture. In parallel, craftsmen began producing a huge variety of canisters and lockable containers for storing and preserving this valuable commodity. These canisters, chests and caddies were functional, but also intended for display – and even as the habit of tea drinking filtered down the social scale, such items were a means of demonstrating the status of the owners. This thoroughly researched book provides a background to tea drinking in Britain, and dedicates subsequent chapters to decorative techniques and the materials from which chests and caddies were commonly made. As well as following the history of wooden tea containers made between about 1720 and 1900, The Story of British Tea Caddies and Tea Chests offers insights into the impressive array of alternative materials used, including japanned metal, silver, ceramics, ivory, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and, even, papier mâché. With historical images showing tea’s integration into British society, extracts from old advertisements, a chapter advising on how to distinguish fakes from genuine pieces, and a wealth of photographs depicting surviving examples of all qualities, this is a must-have book for historians, collectors and anyone with a keen interest in the decorative arts.

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The Authors

Anne Stevens was an enthusiastic collector of British tea chests and caddies and became the leading authority on the subject, working on this book after her retirement as a volunteer at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. From early on in the project she was helped with authorship and general editing by Kate Richenburg and Gillian Walkling, both of whom already had knowledge of the topic. Chapters have been written by a number of experts in their fields – Brian Austen (Tunbridge Ware), Rufus Bird (Japanned Wood), Julia Clarke (Enamel), Clive Edwards (Making and Merchandising), Mark Goodger (Fakes), Charles Hajdamach (Glass), Yvonne Jones (Papier Mâché), Sally Kevill-Davies (Ceramics), Richard Rose and Richard Dey (A Short History of Tea Chests and Caddies), and Jeanne Sloane (Silver).