Object Record
Images
Additional Images [3]
Metadata
Object ID # |
1956.020.006 |
Object Name |
Caddy, Tea |
Title |
Tea Box (19th-Century) |
Lexicon category |
4: T&E For Materials |
Date |
mid-19th-century |
Made |
Unknown tinsmith |
Place of Origin |
Unknown/Ireland, United Kingdom |
Description |
This is a tole-painted, formerly black-finished metal box . This tin box has a hinged lid, with a movable wire handle, and a hasp latch which flips down and would allow the box to be locked with a small lock. The lid has a decorative border and the front has a faded design of flowers with gold stems and leaves. It is in a weakened state due to age: the metal is brittle, and when opened, the box falls apart because the sides no longer adhere together. |
Provenance |
According to the last owner, Jessie MacKay, this was a wedding gift, filled with tea. It was later filled with spices and used by the McElheron family, originally of Ireland, who settled in Sydenham Township, Grey County. Neil McElheron and his wife Mary were married in Ireland in 1836. Jessie's mother had been a McElheron. The McElherons were related to the McClarty family. Neil and Hugh McElheron came from Ireland. |
Collection |
Household Equipment, 19th-c Collection |
Material |
Metal/Paint |
Dimensions |
H-18.5 W-22 L-16.5 D-3.8 cm |
Found |
Sydenham Township (formerly), Municipality of Meaford, Grey County |
People |
MacKay, Jessie |
Subjects |
Tea Containers Tinsmithing |
Search Terms |
Sydenham Township |
Function |
The donor said that she was told that these were sometimes given, filled with tea, as wedding presents in the mid-19th-century. Tea could be pilfered, so tea caddies often had a means by which to lock them up if needed. In those days, dried tea leaves were kept in caddies, and would be spooned out as needed. |