Dear Readers,
Tea became fashionable after 1662 when King Charles II’s Portuguese bride, Catherine, brought a cask of it along with her dowry. In those days the beverage was thought to possess medicinal qualities, and Thomas Garraway introduced tea in his London coffee house in 1657 with this advertisement:: “This excellent beverage, recommended by all Chinese doctors, and which the Chinese call ‘Tcha’, other nations ‘Tay’ or ‘Tee’, is on sale at Sultaness Mead close to the Royal Exchange in London.” (Le Palais des The)
Only the rich could afford tea until larger amounts began to be imported, resulting in lowered prices.
This past weekend, one of my grandnieces turned six. She celebrated this important occasion with a tea party in a way Jane Austen would have approved of for anyone celebrating her natal day in 2019. (No alcoholic beverages were served I assure you.)
Invited were close friends and their mothers. Included were all the appurtenances of a tea party 21st-century style.
First came the hats and nail polish. Then the gloves and the bling, bling, bling!
Both grandmothers contributed their teapots, assorted tea cups and saucers, and beautiful linens.
And then, of course, came the guests properly dressed for the occasion.
Raised pinkies while holding tea cups (none of which matched) were practiced.
Alas, tea was not drunk, but pink lemonade was in high demand. Instead of tea sandwiches, pizza slices and pink cupcakes were served.
My two grandnieces enjoyed themselves immensely.
Fabulous birthday girl
My six-year-old self would have LOVED to join young Charley left below (and Drew above) in the festivities.
I think Ms. Austen would have approved of this modern interpretation of an age old custom. Don’t you think?
Jane Austen's World 
Jane would have loved it, Vic! And aren’t those little girls just the dearest things – all dressed up and daintily sipping “tea”. Thank you for sharing this lovely party with us.
Ah, the young ladies in their finery look absolutely gorgeous.
How delightful to share the joy and fun of a 2019 tea party. The guests are beautiful in their party attire and I know Jane would approve of the festive event. Thank you for including us in your tea party celebration.
Adorable!!! My youngest daughters will be 11 and 8 in April, but I think we can still pull it off! Love the gloves- I’ll see if I can find them.
Thanks for the post! Jane would absolutely approve!
Charming little ladies! 😍
This is so sweet!! My sixth birthday party was a tea party!! Such special memories.
Last weekend we celebrated my grandson’s birthday with high tea at a Tea House. Drank a lovely Cherry Tea;
Chocolate chip scones; and assorted sandwiches. His sisters wore their fancy dresses and hats. Everyone chose a different tea. Bet we do this again!
Such pretty tea things! And I love the young ladies showing off their good manners.
(Also, tea totally possesses medicinal qualities. The miruvor of Rivendell is as nothing compared with tea.)
Thanks for this. They are adorable!
Vic, they are utterly charming. Thanks for posting.
Upon my word! They raise their pinkies decidedly! (I make NO apologies to paraphrasing Lady Catherine)! ;-)
What a sweet celebration for your grand-niece and her friends. I think what makes it extra-special is that you have started a tradition that is inclusive of all generations and you can build upon it in the years to come. You could even create a tea-themed “guest book” or birthday journal for her to write in, as well as well-wishes from friends and family.
I love it! What a delightful idea! I have a great niece but she is only 2, maybe I could suggest something like this when she is a tiny bit older
What a lovely birthday gathering. I’m sure Jane would have approved.
denise
What a splendid way to celebrate a birthday. I would have loved it at that age, well any age actually! I may do that for my next birthday.
Hi Jane Austen lovers.
I found this popping in my Google newsstand. Enjoy!
Indeed! Now I want to have a Tea Party with my Grands!
What a lovely idea…I will have to suggest this for my granddaughters next birthday, she just loves to dress up as a “lady of substance”. Thank you for your blog it is wonderful.
Just delightful! I too will suggest this to my daughter when my granddaughter turns 6 in November! I love all those special touches…gloves, hats, doilies, and pink cupcakes!
Jane absolutely would have approved. The young ladies all look so lovely in their finery. And the hats, oh my goodness!
A delightful post that made me smile – thanks, Vic.
Forever sensible and unassuming (to me) Jane would wonder why on earth should anyone (not related to her and living centuries later) need her approval….
Those kids had fun and didn’t worry about such nonsense.
The young certainly surpass adults in reasonableness
Lily, you are correct. This was a rhetorical question designed to communicate with my readers not with Jane.. If she were alive today she would have been aghast at all this fuss about her her life, regency customs, and the cult of JANE in general.