Skip to content
Child's Tea Set

Child's Tea Set

Shared by
Western Bay Museum

Miniature tea-sets fall into three categories; children's tableware typically 1:3 scale - in Europe these are often given as a gift to a new-born, dolls tea-sets typically 1:4 or 1:5 scale, and dollhouse-scaled miniatures most commonly 1:12 in scale. Tea-sets as toys for children first appeared in the 16th Century in Germany, made in pewter and copper. When the art of porcelain manufacture was mastered in the 18th century, children's tea-sets were also produced. However, because they were expensive and fragile these tea-sets were not considered toys and were only used under supervision. The mid-19th century saw the emergence of more cost-effective tea-sets made from materials such as bakelite and celluloid. Researched by Jeanette Shepherd.

Ngā whakamārama -
Details

Kei hea tēnei taonga? -
Where is this item held?

Western Bay Museum

Whare taonga | Organisation

Western Bay Museum

Ngā here ki runga i ngā whakaahua o tēnei taonga? -
What can you do with images of this item?

  • You must check with Western Bay Museum to confirm terms of use and any attribution requirements, but this is our understanding:

  • Use for private study, research, criticism, review, or education

    NZ Copyright law allows for the use of copyrighted works in specific circumstances. Consider what you can do under copyright law.

  • No sharing

    You can't share this image without futher permission.

  • No modifying

    You can't modify, remix or add to this image without further permission.

  • No commercial use

    You can't use this image to make money.

  • Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ

Tāpirihia he kōrero anō -
Improve this record

  • Can you help us? Share names, details and stories to help enrich the collection.

    Contact contributor