Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Mother-of-Pearl, Wood, Abalone
1820s Chinoiserie Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Pewter
18th Century Italian Chinoiserie Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century English Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Lacquer, Wood
18th Century British George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Bone, Wood, Harewood
Early 19th Century European George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Steel
Early 19th Century German George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Mother-of-Pearl, Velvet, Wood
1860s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
1860s Scottish Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century British Regency Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
1850s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
1850s English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
Early 19th Century British George IV Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
Early 1800s English George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Hardwood
Mid-19th Century British Victorian Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
18th Century and Earlier English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
Early 19th Century German George III Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Cut Steel
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Mother-of-Pearl, Ivory, Wood
Early 20th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Pewter
Early 19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Paper
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Tortoise Shell, Wood
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Brass
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Iron
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Iron
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Steel
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Iron
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Iron
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Lacquer, Wood
18th Century and Earlier German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Iron
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Steel
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Brass
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century Dutch Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century Swiss Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Brass
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Brass
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Bone
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Silver
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Bone
19th Century English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Tortoise Shell, Wood
18th Century and Earlier English Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Brass
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century German Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Iron
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Bone
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Brass
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Lacquer
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
19th Century Chinese Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Lacquer
19th Century British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Glass
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood
18th Century and Earlier British Antique Wood Tea Caddy
Wood, Bone
- 1
Antique Wood Tea Caddy For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Antique Wood Tea Caddy?
Finding the Right Tea-caddies for You
There are lots of uses for your vintage, new or antique tea caddies, but they can certainly serve their original intended purpose if needed.
When tea first gained popularity during the 1800s, and teatime became commonplace in homes all over England, it was an expensive commodity owing to excessive taxation. (This, of course, inevitably yielded a black market for tea leaves.) Tea drinkers hoarded their precious goods, which began to arrive in London ports from China during the 17th century, under lock and key. In luxury homes, tea leaves were stowed away in a decorative jar or canister called a tea caddy that was fitted with a lock, or, alternatively, the container was kept in a secured chest or storage cabinet.
Tea was thought to be not just a delicious drink but also to have medicinal benefits. The Chinese had been praising the healthy properties of tea, and wealthy Europeans were eager to discover its benefits for themselves during their ritual afternoon tea. The idea of “teatime” wasn’t a social event in upper-class British homes until the 1830s or 1840s. During Queen Victoria’s reign, small baked treats might be served with your beverage, and teakettles and coffeepots were part of tea services that could include teacups, saucers, a milk pot and other accessories.
When tea cultivation was relegated to British colonies such as India, and the British East India Company could no longer hold onto its trade monopoly with China, tea was no longer a ritual confined to the wealthy. Today, antique and vintage tea caddies are collector’s items all over the world.
Tea caddies weren’t unique to Europeans. The earliest pieces originated in China. Surviving hand-painted examples from China or elsewhere in Asia made of porcelain might feature enameled landscapes or other designs. At the Taft Museum of Art, there are striking enameled 18th-century-era tea caddies of copper that were given to the institution in 2014. Wooden tea caddies materialized over time and were seen as sturdier than their ceramic counterparts.
Today, there are all kinds of ways to use a vintage tea caddy if you’re passing on tea. They’re a welcome decorative flourish on the mantel in your living room, for example. A metal tea caddy, lined with a plastic bag, can be used to cultivate an herb garden on your kitchen windowsill. An old wooden tea caddy can help keep your paper clips or pushpins organized on your desk too. If you’re always on the go, a tea tin is good for packing earbuds, hand sanitizer, gum or whatever else that might get easily lost in a roomy crossbody messenger bag or other shoulder bag.
Teatime or not, find antique and vintage mid-century modern tea caddies, tortoiseshell caddies and more on 1stDibs.
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