*Image via* “A Sharp White Background”: Enslavement and Privilege at Eighteenth-Century Harvard College, Christina J. Hodge, 2021, and the President and Fellows of Harvard College, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, PM 992-9-10/103261 and 103261.1

"Where there's tea, there's hope." - Arthur Wing Pinero

One of my favorite exercises in interpretation is taking an everyday household object and thinking through how many stories can be told about that object. This is an easy exercise to do either on your own, or as a group with staff and volunteers. Want to get extra spicy? Try it with your visitors too!

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My first time doing a variation of this exercise was actually in a graduate school anthropology course on materiality. Our group was assigned an object and given its basic known background. Our group received a teacup, which was found during an archeological dig at a site on campus that was once the home to the university president. So what stories could be told here in relation to this tea cup? One easy avenue to go down is to think about who might have handled the tea cup during its lifetime.

*Benjamin Wadsworth, Harvard University President 1725-1737.*

The University President- This might be the most obvious story to tell— it was found in his former home, after all. Did he use this particular cup? I suppose there is no way to know for certain, but it’s likely it at least crossed his table as the dates line up correctly. What stories could be told about his legacy, in the space where this cup was found, or otherwise? What did it mean for this man to own and use this particular cup (which by the way, was quite fancy and likely quite expensive and likely imported at great a great expense.)?

Guests

*Talking at the dinner table, a scene from* Manon Lescaut, by Antoine François Prévost, c. 1753

We know that it was common for the university president to host students and other faculty at his home for receptions and other social gatherings. Would tea have been served? What message was conveyed by using these particular cups? What do you think it would have meant for a student to take part in this tea service? Would it have been a different experience for a wealthy student who had a family legacy at this university vs. a student with limited financial means? We of course can’t know what anyone was thinking or feeling (unless we have journals or letters to reference) but it’s still important and worthwhile to consider these possibilities in experience. Also worth considering— who would not have been invited (ahem— women were not granted entry to this college for many more years to come…)? Who would never have had a chance to visit and enjoy a cup of tea?

The Family

*Morning Tea, Print by Richard Houston, 1750. Courtesy of British Museum*

The university president didn’t live in that home alone. He lived alongside his wife, Ruth. What might her encounters with this tea cup have been? As a hostess to the above mentioned social gatherings, what might she have had? The Wadsworths did not have any children, but it’s worth considering a family who did— what might kids think of a fancy tea set? Would they have been allowed to use it?

The Enslaved

Harvard has a murky history with acknowledging their part in the early US slave trade. They are currently doing some great work on this, including an ongoing project, Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery (definitely worth exploring). We do know that enslaved men and women lived in this house during the time that Wadsworth was in residence. Titus and Venus were enslaved and lived in this house 1725-1737, and Juba and Bilhah in 1737-1769. What do you think they experienced in regards to this tea set? How might their encounters have been different from Mrs. Wadsworth, President Wadsworth, or the students visiting the home?

*Plaque at Wadsworth House at Harvard Univeristy, commemorating the lives of enslaved individuals Titus, Venus, Juba, and Bilhah. Image courtesy of Harvard Magazine, 2016.*

The Maker and The Merchant

Handling aside, who made this tea cup? Are there makers marks or records to refrernce? What do we know about the artisans who created these pieces? How did it end up in this house, and what might its journey have looked like?

The Recent Past and Present

This tea cup’s story didn’t end when it somehow ended up beneath the ground. What’s the story behind the project that led to its excavation? Who foud the tea cup, and what stories do they have to share? Since its discovery, who has worked with this object, and what can we learn from them? Importantly— who isn’t being asked for their knowledge, and what are we missing?

As you can see, when it comes to interpreting objects (or events), a tea cup is never just a tea cup. There are so many avenues of discovery to explore beyond the known owner of an object. Of course, as historians and interpreters, we never want to make claims that are not soundly based in fact— but I urge you to seek out opportunities to uncover more about the objects you’re working with. What historic records are we not consulting that could expand our collective knowledge about every day objects and experiences? What biases are we bringing into our interpretive practices? Who else can we bring into the conversation to increase our circles of engagement and understanding?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer credit where credit is due— thank you to the wonderful Prof. Christina J. Hodge who first guided our class through a variation of this exercise, one that has served as an inspiration point for my work ever since!