Cheers!

From tea pots to punch bowls, explore the world of drinking in this fun exhibition dedicated to objects used for the consumption of tea, wine, coffee, punch, beer, cider, and chocolate. This unique display will give visitors a glimpse into our past drinking habits, using items from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection. Featuring practical articles, such as wine siphons, as well as elaborate decorative pieces, including an early nineteenth-century wine cart made from silver, the show highlights everyday objects once used for the ordinary practice of drinking. Beautiful, simple, and ornate decanters, tea caddies, mugs, cups, and saucers created with glass, silver, and porcelain in America, England, France, and China will present viewers with a broader understanding of drinking customs. Unlike our casual, everyday practice of drinking with paper cups on the go, earlier traditions required special utensils and rituals for the consumption of beverages, including the exotic libations of chocolate, tea, and coffee.

RELATED PROGRAMS | Telfair Academy

Director’s Circle Preview Dinner
Wednesday, March 11 | 6pm
Celebrate the art of the drink in this exhibition of beloved pieces from Telfair’s permanent collection—from intricate tea sets to fashionable steins—as we take a look back at decorative drinking vessels through the ages (just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day!). RSVP at 912.790.8844 or rennerc@telfair.org.

Opening Lecture and Members’ Reception
Thursday, March 12 | 6pm
Telfair Museums celebrates the opening of three new exhibitions in a joint lecture by Telfair curators. Tania Sammons, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Historic Sites, will lecture on a broad array of collection objects related to the drinking of beverages from tea and coffee to wine and beer. Courtney McNeil, Curator of Fine Arts and Exhibitions, will lecture on the art of Anne Taylor Nash and other work by female artists active in Savannah between 1920 and 1960. A light reception will follow the lecture. Free to members or with paid museum admission.

Unknown maker
Decanter, c. 1830
Bohemian or English, blueflashed glass cut to clear
bequest of Margaret Gray Thomas, OT1951.72.a-b.

Unknown maker
Wine Cart and Decanters, c. 1825
American, silver, glass
gift of Caroline Lamar Woodbridge, in memory of her half-sister, Mildred Deveau Cunningham, 1954.9.1.