Tea box

Date1850-1900

MediumWhite pine and paper

DimensionsOH: 17"; OW: 16 1/2"; OD: 16 1/2"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1953-1096

DescriptionTea box: "square" shipping crate used for exporting tea from China; crudely constructed of short planks of pine nailed and dovetailed at corners; base and top composed of five planks notched at end and nailed to sides; lined inside with paper; outside covered with paper labels printed in red and black.
Label TextWooden crates were used to ship loose tea leaved from Asia to the West. They were lined with lead foil or later aluminum foil to keep air and moisture out during the shipping process. Asian merchants often painted these tea chests or covered them in printed paper with labels that carried the name of the consigner or the ship it traveled on. Surviving tea chests are rare as they were usually reused or destroyed once the shipment arrived.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, most of the tea arriving in the United States came from China. Once Japan opened its doors to trade with America in 1859 however, Japanese tea quickly became half of all tea imported into the country.
MarkingsChinese characters on sides on paper labels; label on front reads where legible: "OW... YOUNG HYSOP TUCKLOONG??UNK??N" 15 Russell & Co. Canton.