NARRATOR: What do teapots have to do with colonial expansion? Or weaving a tapestry, with politics and religion? Welcome to an audio tour of The Met's collection of British decorative arts, which spans four centuries. Some of the objects you’re about to see were used by ordinary people in their everyday lives. Others graced the homes of kings and queens who changed the course of history. Though they sit quietly behind glass today, these decorative objects detail a revolution–sometimes bloody–in entrepreneurship, technological achievement, and consumerism itself.

You’ll hear the contemporary voices of a curator, conservator, and craftspeople. You'll also hear some from the past; dramatized first-hand accounts from historical figures who actually made or used these objects, and bore witness to the growth of an empire. Remember: design is never just about what we see–it’s also about people, politics, and power.

Welcome.