Tea service, 1880

Made by Rogers, Smith & Co., New Haven, CT
Eastlake style
Silver plate

Tea sets were indicators of a family's status and social aspirations. When the process of electrically bonding silver to a less expensive base metal was invented, tea sets became affordable for more people. This set includes coffee-, tea-, and hot-water pots, and a sugar bowl, creamer, waste bowl, and tray. A similar set sold for $120 in 1886. Eugenia Jones of Springfield received this tea service as a gift from her mother when she married George Hunt, a lawyer and state senator from Paris, Illinois. The tray is engraved "Eugenia/ From her Mother/ A. Maria Jones/ Feb. 3, 1880."

Gift of Mrs. W. T. Lusk, New Canaan, CT (750036)

Food Service | metal

© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96