
Settle in for a good strong cuppa because December 15 is International Tea Day!
Tea drinking began thousands of years ago in China and made its way west to Europe through Dutch trade in the sixteenth century. By the nineteenth century, the East India Company had a monopoly on the tea trade between China and Britain.
Despite a dramatic rejection of imported tea by angry colonials during the Boston Tea Party in December 1773, Americans have certainly not let history keep them from their tea in the long run!
International Tea Day has been celebrated since 2005 in an aim to draw attention to the impact of global trade on workers and growers in the tea industry.
In addition to understanding where the tea comes from, and how it is produced, the day is also a chance to sip your favorite flavors! Take a look below at a small selection of drawings and photographs related to tea drinking from our collections, and perhaps enjoy your own cup of tea as you scroll!






![Mrs. Corey's A.R.C. Officers Convalescent Home No. 8, Chateau de Villequeis [i.e. Villequiers], Verrieres de Buisson. (S.E.O.) Afternoon tea on the terrace. Mrs. Corey pours tea for a visiting colonel. The daily Bridge game ar Chateau Villegenis. Mrs. Corey and some of the officers. Chateau Villegenie or as it is known now AMERICAN RED CROSS Officers Convalescent Home No. 8, was given to the Red Cross by Mrs. Corey for the duration of the war. It has accomodation for 60 officers and with its beautiful building and spacious grounds makes an ideal convalescent home. It is situated at Verrieres only 18 Km. from Paris. Photo by American Red Cross, September 1918. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/anrc.17611](http://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/files/2017/10/17611v.jpg)

Learn More:
- Take a look at some other tea-drinking related items in our collections.
- Check out some interesting images of tea production in imperial Russia, found in the Prokudin-Gorskii Collection.
- Prefer coffee? Check out a previous Picture This post on the alternative breakfast brew.
Comments (3)
What a wonderful service you provide❗️
This went down well with my milky cuppa Irish breakfast tea. Wonderful photographs. Thank you.
Thanks for this informational text on tea. Thanks also for providing pictures of history of tea. I can use them in my ELA class.