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The consumption of tea began with Buddhist monks in the 2nd century BCE who drank tea as a meditation aid. Tea quickly spread throughout Asia, where tea parties were rambunctious social gatherings. Tea traditions were created in an effort to appreciate the beauty and luxury in simplicity. In the 15th century CE, elites transformed tea rooms into proper, subdued events where wealth was subtly flaunted with the finest serving utensils. In the early 17th century, European colonization brought tea to the Western world where it created quite a stir and revolutionized drinking rituals. Like tea service in the East, Western tea parties were places to display wealth with exceptional preparation, service, and china. Although originally associated with gossip and frivolous socialization for the elite, tea services became strict social institutions and were deemed essential for the rich and powerful. Since the 1950s, tea rooms in the Western world have been declining; they remain as a counterculture that encourages thoughtful conversations and connections in a calming setting, a juxtaposition to our fast-paced world. This aspect of the art of tea brings tea back to its roots in emphasizing simple beauty and genuine connection. The art of tea has existed nearly as long as the drink itself has. Please enjoy this selection of artistic representation of tea services throughout the centuries.

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Utagawa Toyokuni, The Shaka Teahouse, early 1790s, Japanese, color woodblock prints, 39.2 x 26.4 cm, Cleveland Museum of Art

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1. Recognize tea services as a decorative art
2. Grasp basics of Western exoticism of East
3. Understand role of women in tea services during the 20th century

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Imogen Cunningham, Tea at Foster’s, San Francisco, 1940s, American, gelatin silver print, 19.1 x 18.7 cm, Seattle Art Museum

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In the West, tea room owners and clientele were primarily female. Opening a tea room was one of few socially acceptable careers available to women at the turn of the 20th century. Tea rooms were a place of female collaboration and empowerment, a rare place where women could dine without male accompaniment or under male scrutiny. First-wave feminism originated in tea rooms, which provided opportunities to fundraise, discuss inequality, and organize political agendas.

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Zaha Hadid (designer) and Sawaya & Moroni (manufacturer), Tea and Coffee Service, 1997, Italian, silver, Rhode Island School of Design Museum 

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Hendrix Petrus Berlage and Piet Zwart, Yellow Pressed Glass Tea Service for Leerdam, c. 1924, Dutch, glass, Art Institute of Chicago

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Hyacinthe Régnier (designer) and Sèvres Manufactory (manufacturer), Coffee and tea service, 1855-61, French, hard-paste porcelain, Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Tea in the West was part of a larger colonial movement to exoticize and commodify the “quaint” and “untainted” Asia. The appropriation of Chinese art is evident in the tray’s scrolling feet, double-walled open work, and bamboo-inspired handles of this tea service. The painted elements and color scheme are distinctly European. Chinoiserie, or European emulations of what was perceived as Chinese art, became popular in the 1730s and continued throughout the following centuries.

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Blakemore, Erin. “The Women’s Suffrage Movement Started with a Tea Party.” HISTORY, 11 July 2018, www.history.com/news/early-womens-rights-suffrage-seneca-falls-elizabeth-cady-stanton.

Oshinksy, Sara. “Exoticism in the Decorative Arts.” Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/exot/hd_exot.htm.

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Strickl, Cara. “The Top-Secret Feminist History of Tea Rooms.” JSTOR Daily, 6 Mar. 2019, daily.jstor.org/the-top-secret-feminist-history-of-tea-rooms/.

“Tea in Ancient China & Japan.” World History Encyclopedia, www.worldhistory.org/article/1093/tea-in-ancient-china--japan/.

‌Wees, Beth Carver. “Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate in Early Colonial America.” Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2020, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/coff/hd_coff.htm.