Teapot, Stamp Act Repeal’d, 1766
Cockpit Hill Factory
Peabody Essex Museum
Salem in History, 2006
Teapot, Stamp Act Repeal'd, 1766
Cockpit Hill factory
Great Britain
Lead-glazed and hand-painted earthenware
Gift of Richard Manning
121493
HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
Many colonists were against the Stamp Act largely because it was imposed upon them; formerly,
colonial governments passed their own Acts to raise funds as required.The colonial response was to organize, protest the Act, and confiscate the stamps. In Boston, one group mobilized and forced the stamp distributor, Andrew Oliver, to resign. Crowds hanged Oliver’s effigy, ransacked his home, and tore down the
Stamp Office. One of the goods taxed by the Stamp Act was tea; it is not surprising, then, that teapots
were one of the means for expressing political thought.
Amidst the colonial protest, politics in Britain were also turbulent. Grenville was dismissed, and in March
1766, the Stamp Act was repealed. Colonists rejoiced. The broad protest and success in repealing the
Stamp Act was an early moment of unity among the American colonies. However, recognition of the binding allegiance of the colonies to “mother” Britain remained strong, despite this particular instance of dissent.
This British-made teapot is imprinted to convey the repeal of the contentious legislation, and reveals the
strength and continuity of ties between Great Britain and her American colonies.
A R T
H I S T O R I C A L
C O N T E X T
The popularity of drinking tea arrived with colonial settlers and was well established by the mid-17th
century. The earliest teapots found in America were probably imported from Europe, but American
examples are known from at least the beginning of the 18th century. In China, tea was infused directly in
cups before drinking the beverage; the introduction of teapots may have been an adaptation of Islamic
`coffee vessels as part of the Westward spread of tea’s popularity. Europeans prized Chinese artisans’ ability
to produce fine porcelain, and Europeans created an export market for porcelain teapots made in China.
The first porcelain produced in Great Britain appeared around 1770.
Earthenware is one of the oldest materials used to create pottery. Compared to porcelain, the fired
material is more porous, opaque, and fragile. The glaze applied to this piece would have been necessary to
keep the porous teapot watertight, but the lead content in the glaze could, with extended use, cause health
problems.
SAMPLE GUIDING QUESTIONS
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Describe the way this teapot is painted. Is there any other decoration other than the text?
To what event does the text refer?
If you were this artist, why might you choose to make a political statement on a teapot?
Why do you think someone would have wanted to own this teapot?
Why do you think that people in Great Britain would make a teapot like this? Why would colonists
in America buy this teapot from British makers?
• What does this teapot suggest about the relationship between the American colonies and Great
Britain in 1766?
SUGGESTED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
• Ask students to look for other everyday items in their homes or school that are used to promote an
idea or opinion (not an advertisement). In class, analyze these objects and their messages. How
effective do students believe these are in swaying opinion? Also ask students to look for a label that
indicates where the object was made and consider whether or not this is significant.
2003 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks 3.3, 3.4, 3.12, 5.7, 5.10
Peabody Essex Museum
Salem in History 2006