George II Tortoise Shell Tea Box

c. 1790

A George II tortoise shell tea box (English, c. 1790). The box is of rectangular shape with a hinged lid, top loop handle, and small metal plaque bearing the Morris family crest of a burning tower. The interior is divided into three compartments. A plaque on the inside of the lid reads “TORTOISESHELL TEA BOX / MORRIS CREST – MADE ABOUT 1790 / HISTORY UNKNOWN / FOUND IN CHARLES STREET, BOSTON / BY / N. B. MORRIS / MARCH 1924 / PRIZE FOR / WOMAN’S NAITONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP / OF UNITED STATES / LONGWOOD COVERED COURTS / BROOKLINE, MASS. / RUNNDERS UP – DOUBLES 1924 / MRS. L. G. MORRIS – MISS LILIAN SCHARMAN.”

English

tortoise shell

wood

metal

glass

5 1/4" x 10 3/4" x 5 1/8"

Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Alletta Morris McBean, 1997.

PSNC.8334a-d