Tea Caddies
Vintage, New and Antique Tea Caddies
Early 19th Century European Antique Tea Caddies
Sycamore
Late 18th Century English Sheraton Antique Tea Caddies
Satinwood
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Tea Caddies
Metal
Mid-20th Century Chinese Qing Tea Caddies
Porcelain
1790s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1890s Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
1910s English Neoclassical Revival Vintage Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 19th Century British Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
1690s Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Crystal, Brass
Late 18th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
19th Century European George III Antique Tea Caddies
Sycamore
18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Ebony, Mahogany, Boxwood, Rosewood, Satinwood
1970s Victorian Vintage Tea Caddies
Metal
Late 19th Century Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Metal
Early 19th Century George III Antique Tea Caddies
Steel
18th Century British Antique Tea Caddies
Paper
1930s English Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Metal, Pewter
Mid-19th Century Swedish Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Elm
1890s English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Gold, Sterling Silver
1950s British Edwardian Vintage Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Crystal, Brass
Early 20th Century English Georgian Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
18th Century English Hepplewhite Antique Tea Caddies
Glass, Satinwood, Paper
Mid-20th Century Tibetan Tea Caddies
Metal
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Elm
Early 19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Mid-20th Century Chinese Tea Caddies
Paper
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
1860s High Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Abalone, Paper
1870s French Chinoiserie Antique Tea Caddies
Lead
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Other
19th Century British Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Walnut
1930s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddies
Metal
Mid-20th Century French Neoclassical Revival Tea Caddies
Metal, Brass
1780s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
1890s Antique Tea Caddies
Boxwood
20th Century Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
20th Century Tea Caddies
Metal
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
1880s English Antique Tea Caddies
Tin
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Porcelain
20th Century English Victorian Tea Caddies
Wood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Metal, Brass
19th Century Primitive Antique Tea Caddies
Pine
Early 19th Century English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Velvet, Cut Glass, Boxwood, Mahogany, Satinwood
Early 19th Century Edo Antique Tea Caddies
Bronze
Early 19th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Palisander
Early 1800s English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Brass, Other
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
Vintage, New and Antique Tea Caddies
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.