Tea cosy
A tea cosy (American English: tea cozy) is a cover for a teapot,[1] traditionally made of cloth or wool, which is used to insulate the tea, keeping it warm while it brews. Cloth tea cosies often have padded inserts, which can be removed and washed separately.
Tea cosies are often available in matching sets with other items such as tablecloths, oven gloves, or aprons. Cloth tea-cosies may be embroidered, perhaps to complement a fine set of china. Some have been made with hidden pockets to be filled with fragrant herbs or flowers, similar to a potpourri.
Many tea cosies in Britain are hand-knitted, resembling woollen hats, even featuring a bobble on top.
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[edit] History
Although the history of the tea cosy may begin when tea was introduced to Britain in the 1660s, the first documented use of a tea cosy in Britain was in 1867.[2] It is probably the Duchess of Bedford who, by establishing the activity of afternoon tea in 1840, would have brought the popularity of the tea cosy.[3] Afternoon tea was the time for networking and keeping up to date with aristocracy gossip and topical news. With all the chatter at teatime the teapot would get cold, which would have at times cut short some tea parties. And so, the tea cosy came about. Tea cosies then flourished during the late 19th century, where they appeared in many households across Britain, motivated by the obsession of decorating and covering objects characteristic of the Victorian era.
Tea cosies started to be used in North America in the same period. Newspapers of the time reveal that tea cosies enjoyed "a sudden and unexpected rise in public favor" among women who hosted tea parties.[4] Newspapers of the time included advice columns on how to make one: "Some very handsome ones are made of remnants of heavy brocade, but linen is generally used, embroidered or not, according to taste, as these covers are washable. Make the covering large enough for your teapot and provide a ring at the top to lift it off with." [1]
[edit] Art and Literature
Tea cosy needlework art is captured by a collection of the Norfolk Museums and Archeology Service on contemporary British artists and artisans.[5]
Tea cosies in fiction include the eponymous item in Edward Gorey's The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas.[6]
In the Harry Potter series, the house elf Dobby wears a tea cosy for a hat.
In the 2000 film Snatch, a tea cosy is placed over Franky Four Fingers' (Benecio del Toro's) head in place of a blindfold when he is held captive by pawnbrokers-turned-robber-abductors Vinnie (Robbie Gee) and Sol (Lennie James).
In James Joyce's short story "An Encounter," Joe Dillon wears a tea-cosy on his head when playing the part of an Indian in his backyard.
Australian author Loani Prior's Wild Tea Cosies and Really Wild Tea Cosies made the Top Ten of the Australian National Bestseller List in 2008 and 2010 respectively.[7] [8] Loani's tea cosies have been exhibited at the Powerhouse Museum.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Article of the Boston Journal, 25 November 1879
- ^ A History of Hand Knitting, Richard Rutt (1987), London : Batsford.
- ^ Suie Roberts, The History of the Tea Cosy, 31 March 2008
- ^ Philadelphia Inquirer, 20 October 1892
- ^ Chloë Archer with Louise Pratt, Anna Champeney (1995) Teapotmania: The story of the British craft teapot and teacosy; Norfolk Museums Service
- ^ Edward Gorey (1998)The Haunted Tea-Cosy: A Dispirited and Distasteful Diversion for Christmas. Harcourt
- ^ The Echo Issue 25 08 Page 17
- ^ Salt Magazine Winter 10
[edit] External links
- Example of modern Tea Cosy style PageQuilts website
- Example of Really Wild Tea Cosies GrandPurlBaa website
