Tea Party

William P. Chappel American

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.

Tea Party, William P. Chappel (American, 1801–1878), Oil on slate paper, American

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