Tea Party

William P. Chappel

1870s · Oil on slate paper · The American Wing

While we don’t know the precise destination of these sixteen well-dressed ladies, an inscription on the reverse of the image suggests they are going to a tea party. Women regularly hosted afternoon or evening tea socials in their homes or at churches to raise funds for charitable causes. The ladies appear to attract some attention as they proceed down Second (now Forsyth) Street, past the smith’s shop owned by David and Jabez Fowler and toward Thomas Foster’s grocery at the corner of Pump (now Canal) Street. Only the sailor and the little boy across the street seem too busy to take notice.

Artist

William P. Chappel

Date

1870s

Medium

Oil on slate paper

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Edward W. C. Arnold Collection of New York Prints, Maps, and Pictures, Bequest of Edward W. C. Arnold, 1954