Shaker Tin and Pewter Teapot

Shaker Tin and Pewter Teapot, Mount Lebanon, New York, c. 1820, oval form with hinged lid with oval pewter finial and ear-shaped hollow pewter handle salvaged from a pewter teapot, ht. 8, wd. 8 3/4, lg. 13 1/2 in. Provenance: Gifted to the Andrewses from Sister Sadie Neale, New Lebanon, New York, according to a note written by Faith Andrews kept inside the teapot. Literature: Gather Up the Fragments , p. 339. This teapot was one of Faith Andrews's favorite gifts from Sister Sadie Neale of the Mount Lebanon's Church Family. Faith carefully recorded its provenance on the small note included with the piece. Silhouette artist Nell Laughton made an image of Faith 1981, with the teapot on a stand next to her (at left). Shaker Brother Isaac Newton Youngs, of New Lebanon, New York, wrote the following about the Shakers' use of tea in his 1856 "Concise View Of the Church of God and of Christ, On Earth.": "Concerning tea.- In the beginning, the Chh. used but little foreign tea, but had instead, broth, milk porrage, sage, sullendine or even root tea, &c. But in a few years foreign tea, and milk and sweetening with it, was uniformly adopted, particularly for breakfast. After about the year 1808 or 10 tea was used without sugar. But for many years tea was not common for suppers except perhaps for some of the older part had it. This remained as the general custom till the year 1840 when all foreign tea was excluded from the table, none was used, but for the sick, and domestic te Read more…