This tortoiseshell-covered tea chest was made from tortoises caught by Indigenous Caribbean mariners, called turtlers. In the colonial Caribbean islands, turtle meat was a crucial food source served to enslaved African people on plantations and consumed by free Indigenous and colonial populations. The shells of turtles were traded in North America and Europe, where they were fashioned into luxury objects. The English owner of this chest, Sir Brownlow Cust, 4th Baronet (1744–1807), was an investor in the Caribbean colonies. Tea was a fashionable beverage, often served in Chinese porcelain like the example at left. Tea leaves, imported from China, were stored inside the goldwashed cannisters locked within this chest. The key was likely held by Lady Frances Bankes Cust (1756–1847), wife and head of the estate.