Tea Chest

Details

Descriptive Terms

tea caddies (containers)
brass (alloy)
mahogany (wood)
veneering
tin (metal)
velvet (fabric weave)
silk (textile)
Queen Anne
Caddy, Food
Caddy, Tea
Caddy, Tea

Label

Cherished Possessions: Most of the furniture that Jonathan Sayward bought came from York, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, or Boston, Massachusetts. This small tea chest, however, which Sayward purchased from the Boston importer John Scollay in 1758, is English. Tea chests were a specialty item, and perhaps few were made locally. Like so much of the Sayward furnishings, it survives in its original condition, retaining the tin canisters for two kinds of tea and the original velvet and silk braid lining the top.
Jonathan Sayward purchased this small tea chest in 1758 from Boston importer John Scollay. Despite his loyalty to England, most of the furniture that Sayward bought came from his own town of York, nearby Portsmouth, New Hampshire, or Boston. This item is English. Tea chests were a specialty item, and perhaps few were made locally. Like so many of the Sayward furnishings, the tea chest survives in its original condition, retaining the tin canisters for two kinds of tea and the original velvet and silk braid lining the top.

Associated Building

Original to Sayward-Wheeler House (York Harbor, Me.),

Maker

Unknown

Location of Origin

England

Dimensions

6 11/16 x 10 1/2 x 6 3/16 (HxWxD) (inches)

Credit Line

Gift of the heirs of Elizabeth Cheever Wheeler

Accession Number

1977.212