In those early days, tea was a wildly expensive luxury. It was purchased only by wealthy aristocrats and kept safe—under lock and key—in tea caddies. Sometimes even the servants didn't handle the key—the mistress of the house kept it. Such an exotic and rare import deserved fancy and beautiful caddies, all part of the theatre of serving precious tea to a (deserving) guest.
By the start of the Nineteenth Century, tea was becoming cheaper and more affordable for the middle and working classes. The Industrial Revolution increased incomes while it simultaneously lowered prices. Colonial efforts to improve and increase tea cultivation abroad allowed more of the product to be shipped to Europe. England's drastic slashing of tea import duties helped make the beverage even more affordable (and popular). And, interestingly, temperance activists in England promoted tea as a healthful alternative to alcohol. As the Nineteenth Century came to a close, nearly every Englishman now could afford some amount of tea in the household.
The Chinese brass tea caddy, shown above is made of brass, decorated with colorful enameling. It's not a very big caddy, as it was likely made to be taken back to Europe as a pretty souvenir (not to preserve a large quantity of tea). And, by the time this vessel was made (circa 1905), tea was commonplace and locks were no longer required on tea caddies. But tea—and "The Orient" in general—still held great fascination in the Western mind. Click on the photo above to learn more about this intriguing piece.
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