Tea Caddies and boxes

Tea caddies became popular in the late 17th and early 18th century when tea was introduced to England via trade with Asia. Since tea was an expensive luxury good, it was mainly drunk by the rich, who wanted equally luxurious caddies to store it in. Tea caddies can be found in many different styles and may be painted, lacquered, veneered with exotic woods, or made from precious metals. Some tea caddies even lock for security and have multiple compartments for storing different varieties of tea. Along with tea caddies, other types of decorative boxes became popular in the Georgian period for storing luxury goods such as knife boxes, jewellery boxes, and snuff boxes, made in a wide variety of styles.