Tea Caddies
1870s English Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
Early 20th Century French Tea Caddies
Tin
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Late 18th Century Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
1890s Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Tea Caddies
Enamel
Mid-19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Tin
Mid-19th Century Chinese Antique Tea Caddies
Metal
Mid-20th Century Georgian Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
Mid-19th Century British Antique Tea Caddies
Paper
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Lacquer
Late 19th Century Indian Anglo Raj Antique Tea Caddies
Sterling Silver
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Lacquer
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Lacquer
1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Tea Caddies
Art Glass, Murano Glass
1920s Dutch Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Mid-19th Century American Chinoiserie Antique Tea Caddies
Tin
1810s English Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
Early 20th Century English Neoclassical Revival Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Mother-of-Pearl, Paper
Late 18th Century Danish Rococo Antique Tea Caddies
Pewter
1860s English Antique Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Mahogany
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Brass
18th Century Scottish George II Antique Tea Caddies
Bone, Horn, Precious Stone
1970s Vintage Tea Caddies
Late 19th Century French Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Early 19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Harewood
1890s German Antique Tea Caddies
Silver
Early 19th Century English William IV Antique Tea Caddies
Glass, Cut Glass
19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Tea Caddies
Pewter
Early 1900s German Hollywood Regency Antique Tea Caddies
Ormolu
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Tea Caddies
Jade
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
1890s Italian Folk Art Antique Tea Caddies
Wood
Late 18th Century English Georgian Antique Tea Caddies
Boxwood, Tulipwood, Harewood
Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Tea Caddies
Pewter
19th Century American Art Nouveau Antique Tea Caddies
Metal
20th Century Edwardian Tea Caddies
Silver
Late 20th Century Japanese Meiji Tea Caddies
Lacquer
18th Century English George III Antique Tea Caddies
Bone, Tortoise Shell
1850s Victorian Antique Tea Caddies
Paper
19th Century Anglo-Indian Antique Tea Caddies
1990s European Tea Caddies
Tin
1870s English Antique Tea Caddies
Tortoise Shell
1850s Russian Empire Antique Tea Caddies
Paper
Mid-19th Century Russian Folk Art Antique Tea Caddies
Lacquer
19th Century English Antique Tea Caddies
Silver Plate
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.