Tea, anyone?

In the 19th century, the upper class usually took their evening meal between 8 and 9 p.m. Although an extra light meal called luncheon was created to fill the gap between breakfast and dinner, the long gap between meals meant that a lot of people would become hungry during the late afternoon.

Sometime around 1840, it is said that Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, complained of feeling faint in the afternoons and started to request that some light food and a pot of tea be brought to her private living quarters to help ward off her mid-afternoon hunger. Feeling bored at being alone in her chambers, where most ladies would retire to in the afternoons, she began inviting some of her close friends to her apartments for this ‘afternoon tea’. Others began to copy her, and Afternoon Tea, a new social event, was born.

The event would usually take place in a lady’s parlour or withdrawing room, and the trays were served on low tables, leading to the alternative name of ‘low tea’ often being used.

The food served with afternoon tea gradually evolved to more elaborate snacks such as crustless finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and a final course of cakes, sweets, and pastries.

The Duchess was a lifelong friend to Queen Victoria; she served as the Queen’s Lady of the Bedchamber between 1837 and 1841, and to whom she also introduced to the practise. The trend gained popularity, and it soon became a fashionable pastime of the upper classes. To meet this new demand, English china manufacturers, linen makers, and silversmiths began turning out fine accoutrements to be used in the service of afternoon tea.

It spread throughout England and became the main social event for ladies. Several afternoon teas could be held a week at different houses, giving the ladies a chance to mingle in society.

Portrait of Anna Russell.

Sources:

https://hightea.com/the-history-of-afternoon-tea

https://www.livermead.com/dine/afternoon-tea