This tea service was made by the Bateman family of silversmiths in London at the turn of the 19th century when Britain was rapidly expanding control of global trade. Tea was an expensive, imported beverage for the upper classes. To emphasize privilege, the owner’s initials are engraved on the sides, a gold wash accentuates the sugar bowl and creamer interiors, and the tea leaves are locked inside the canister. To protect hands from heat, the teapot handle is crafted from wood and the lids are topped with stained-green ivory pineapples. While pineapples symbolized hospitality, this fruit, like the imported Asian tea and Caribbean or South American sugar, was traded under the exploitive networks of British imperialism.