"An act apart": tea-drinking, play and ritual
Date
2013
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Studies of tea-drinking emphasize gentility as a fundamental value in early American culture and primarily examine the eighteenth century. But tea continued to be consumed widely in the nineteenth century, and the manufacture and use of miniature tea sets as toys for children suggests a playful element to culture. How did children use these objects, and what does that mean? This study examines several miniature tea sets, children's book illustrations, one novel, and domestic advice manuals in order to provide a clearer picture of tea-drinking practices in the understudied nineteenth century, and the use of tea in children's play. It ultimately examines both tea-drinking and play as ritual practices that challenge the limits of the ordered world. Its conclusions complicate the notion of tea-drinking as an exclusively genteel practice and contribute to the ongoing scholarly discussion surrounding the meaning and purpose of play in human behavior.