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Tea Party

1870s
Not on view
While we don’t know the precise destination of these sixteen well-dressed ladies, an inscription on the reverse of the image suggests they are going to a tea party. Women regularly hosted afternoon or evening tea socials in their homes or at churches to raise funds for charitable causes. The ladies appear to attract some attention as they proceed down Second (now Forsyth) Street, past the smith’s shop owned by David and Jabez Fowler and toward Thomas Foster’s grocery at the corner of Pump (now Canal) Street. Only the sailor and the little boy across the street seem too busy to take notice.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tea Party
  • Artist: William P. Chappel (American, 1801–1878)
  • Date: 1870s
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on slate paper
  • Dimensions: 6 1/8 x 9 5/16 in. (15.6 x 23.7 cm)
  • Credit Line: The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954
  • Object Number: 54.90.499
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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The Boot Black, William P. Chappel American, Oil on slate paper, American
The Boot Black
William P. Chappel
1870s
Fighting a Fire, William P. Chappel American, Oil on slate paper, American
Fighting a Fire
William P. Chappel
1870s
Infant Funeral Procession, William P. Chappel American, Oil on slate paper, American
Infant Funeral Procession
William P. Chappel
1870s
Bull's Head Tavern, William P. Chappel American, Oil on slate paper, American
Bull's Head Tavern
William P. Chappel
1870s
Tea Rusk and Brick House, William P. Chappel American, Oil on slate paper, American
Tea Rusk and Brick House
William P. Chappel
1870s

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