Chinese Export Porcelain Teaware

China Late 1700s

After winning independence, the United States needed trading relationships to help grow its economy. Great Britain remained a global power at sea and barred Americans from trading in some places, such as the West Indies in the Caribbean.

Trading in the Pacific—including China—was one of the few frontiers open for American merchants. In 1784, the first American trading ship, the Empress of China, arrived in Canton (today Guangzhou), China.

Porcelain items were a significant export for China and a valued commodity in the United States. In the late 1700s, Chinese export porcelain pieces like these tea caddies and cream jug were in high demand among wealthy Americans.

  • Source/Credit: Gift of Paul D. Cronin
  • Accession Number: 2011.0033.32
  • Created: Late 1700s
  • Acquired: 2011

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Chinese Export Porcelain Teaware. Late 1700s. National Museum of American Diplomacy, https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/chinese-teaware

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Chinese Export Porcelain Teaware, Late 1700s, National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, DC, https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/chinese-teaware

APA Format

(Late 1700s). Chinese Export Porcelain Teaware [Object]. National Museum of American Diplomacy, Washington, D.C., United States. https://diplomacy.state.gov/items/chinese-teaware