Cabul Saucer c.1860s
Tea was a universal beverage in colonial New Zealand, and this saucer dates to a period when New Zealand and Australia had the highest tea consumption in the world. A Victorian New Zealander's day revolved around morning and afternoon tea times, and tea replaced ale as the breakfast beverage of choice (Pollock 2013).
This Wedgwood and Co. Cabul patterned saucer was probably intended for the American market as it has the Latin phrase "E. Pluribus Unum" included on the maker’s mark. This translates to "out of many, one," the traditional motto of the United States. Staffordshire potters would directly target American customers by incorporating references to America into the designs of their patterns. For example, they would decorate wares meant for the American market “with American views in the belief that their prospective customers would be more inclined to the purchase of such wares than they would if decorated with
views in which they had little or no interest” (Merritt 1943, 16). The pattern on this saucer is typical of many mid-19th century patterns, which were inspired by foreign countries, particularly those to the East, with the name ‘Cabul’ likely being a reference to Kabul, Afghanistan. While the pattern might not depict a view of America, like many other patterns made for the American market did, the inclusion of the United States motto and the bald eagle in the mark indicates it was made for the American market.
However, the American Civil War (1861-65) meant that many exports from England intended for the American market were redirected to the colonies – such as Australia and New Zealand, the new tea drinking capitals of the world.
During the 1860s, the average New Zealander consumed 3-3.5 kilograms of tea per year, mostly imported from Sri Lanka. Interestingly this consumption declined after the 1870s despite the endorsement of the 'tea-totallers' of the New Zealand temperance movement, which introduced legislative methods to reduce alcohol consumption in the 1880s. Numerous other teacup and saucer finds, such as the matching saucer and cup to right (below on mobile view), testify to the popularity of tea drinking in 19th century Christchurch.
Did you know that tea has a dark history?
Even the idea of tea drinking as a quintessentially British pastime was a product of the British Empire's colonial aspirations. China had been the largest exporter of tea and other luxury goods to Britain – but the British had no goods to trade in return. This led to the British growing opium in India to sell to the Chinese market and the subsequent Opium Wars. The British also made their colonies, India and Sri Lanka, the main producers of tea for their local and colonial British populace, sold as "British-controlled, Indian-grown genuine tea" (Fromer 2008, 536). This was one of the "biggest corporate thefts in history", as the British East India Company had a botanist steal tea plants from China in 1850 (Bind, 'The New Zealand Geographic').
This saucer is not only indicative of New Zealander's consumption of tea, but also of the conspicuous consumption that the Industrial Revolution opened up to aspiring the middle classes: "Wedgwood tea sets,
among other Industrial manufactures, were ‘visible symbols … acquired and displayed to validate one’s social
claims and to emulate the behaviour of higher-status groups for social gain" (Storm 2008, 44). This saucer is made by Wedgwood & Co., not to be confused with the famed Wedgewood founded by Josiah Wedgewood referenced. Wedgewood & Co. was named after Enoch Wedgwood, a distant cousin of Josiah Wedgewood. Wedgewood & Co. produced “higher classes of earthenware, in which dinner, tea, breakfast, desert, toilet and other services […] to a very considerable extent, for the home, Colonial, Continental and American markets” (Jewitt & Godden 1972, 89).
‘Old blue’ china such as that produced by Wedgewood & Co., and other
Staffordshire potteries were in demand as a display of conspicuous consumption. The 1897 sketch pictured on the right (below on mobile)
shows a shelf with a New Zealand household's ‘old blue’ on display. Despite the nickname of 'old blue', not all china was the traditional Staffordshire blue, as the below tea cup's colourful pattern shows.
The exact details of the 1860s Cabul saucer's history is unknown, but its use by the 19th century Christchurch household, from where it was found, can be conjectured. Perhaps it was on proud display, like the picture to the above right. Almost certainly it was used to drink tea imported from Sri Lanka, perhaps for three meals a day – breakfast, morning and afternoon tea – or perhaps it was used only for nice occasions. It is unknown if it was part of a set, which would have elevated its status as a display of conspicuous consumption. What we do know is that, like the numerous tea cups and saucers that are found at digs across Christchurch, this saucer is representative of the tea drinking habits colonial New Zealander's brought with them from Britain.
British make, American mark, and New Zealand market
The cross-cultural exchange of 19th century international markets can be seen in the life of this saucer. Made in Britain for the American market, it found its way to Christchurch to be unearthed by 21st century archaeologists. This Cabul saucer is representative of the way international politics, trends and even wars affected the lives of 19th century New Zealanders.
Victorian New Zealand at tea:
Sources:
Brooks, A. An archaeological guide to British ceramics in Australia 1788-1901. Sydney & Melbourne: Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology and La Trobe University Archaeology Program, 2005.
Fromer, Julie E. ""Deeply Indebted to the Tea-Plant": Representations of English National Identity in Victorian Histories of Tea." Victorian Literature and Culture 36, no. 2 (2008): 531-47. Accessed August 27, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40347203.
Jewitt, Llewwllynn Frederick William and Geoffrey A. Godden. Jewitt's Ceramic art of Great Britain, 1800-1900. London: Barrie and Jenkins, 1972.
Merritt, Arthur H. "The Story of Old Blue China." New York History 24, no. 1 (1943): 15-23.
Ministry for Culture and Heritage, 'Temperance movement.' https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/temperance-movement.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/temperance-movement/beginnings
Storm, Erica M. "Roy Porter Student Prize Essay, Gilding the Pill: The Sensuous Consumption of Patent Medicines, 1815–1841." Social History of Medicine 31, no. 1 (2018): 41–60. https://doi.org/10.1093/shm/hkw133
Slider image credit: McKay Savage, 'Tea plantation, Sri Lanka,' 20 October 2007, Creative Commons 2.0 License, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sri_Lanka_tea_farm2.jpg