Fancy a Brew? 18th Century Drinking Cultures

The University’s Stanley and Audrey Burton art gallery is currently displaying the enjoyable ‘Fancy a Brew?’ exhibition, curated by our very own MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies students. The intriguing exhibition explores the changing attitudes of 18^th century drinking culture. It focuses on the increasing popularity of beer and tea, famously the nation’s favourite beverages, and the social importance they had throughout the 1700s. It’s fascinating to discover where this notorious obsession began. Who knew that beer was once considered a nourishing alternative to water, or that 2.2 gallons of gin was consumed per head per year!

With the introduction of new drinks becoming available, the 18^th century accumulated fashionable ceramics to accompany the changing drinking culture. The various pieces on display under the delicate lighting of the showcase offer an insight into the preferred beverages of the time. Some pieces in the tea set evoke curiosity, such as the large ‘sugar spoons’. They certainly appear to be too large for putting sugar in your brew! However, through reading the informative background information provided, one can note that they were in fact for sifting sugar onto deserts provided with afternoon tea. This gives some insight into just how important and special this custom was.

It was only in 1662 that tea drinking was popularised, due to Queen Catherine introducing it to the British aristocracy. However, it was very expensive and even the rich would dry the leaves for re-use or resale in a waste bowl, which is displayed in the exhibition. As a high cost luxury, it had to be stored for as long as possible! A shocking 3 out of 4 cups of tea drunk in Britain on average in the 18^th century were made from smuggled tea. Everyone was desperate to be part of the new, glamorous lifestyle it came with.

British companies became influenced by the fine china and styles of the Far East and imitated some elements of this design, such as the delicate blue and white transfer print shown, into their own ceramics. It can’t be denied that the Yorkshire sheep seen in the Oriental scene printed on the Pearlware mug look rather out of place!

Although small, the exhibition succeeds in introducing a new sense of appreciation among the viewer toward the great lengths people went to in order to provide sufficient drinking implements. Hand-painted using enamels, which was a very expensive and a time-consuming process, one can admire the ceramics displayed as beautiful pieces of art.

Would the 18^th century population look down on the unsophisticated drinking culture of today with shame? Milk, two sugars please!