Tea Leaf Club International
Overview
The Tea Leaf Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and collection ofContact Information
3120 East Titus AvenueDes Moines, Indiana 50320
United States
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Description
Beginning in the 1840's, English potters began to ship white ironstone ceramic ware to the U.S., decorated with copper lustre bands and/or simple motifs, made exclusively for the American market. Anthony Shaw is considered to have produced the original Tea Leaf motif on his Sydenham, Niagara Fan and Chinese Shape body styles, registered in 1856. These are the first of over 150 body styles decorated with the Tea Leaf motif by dozens of English and American potters. These talented potters continued to furnish this beautiful copper lustre decorated white ironstone to the Americas until the beginning of the 20th century. In 1980, some 130 years after its American introduction, a group of Tea Leaf collectors from ten states gathered in Springfield, Illinois to formally organize the Tea Leaf Club International -- hundreds of Club members now span almost every state in the US, as well as members in Canada. TLCI is made up of people who collect, study and love Tea Leaf Ironstone China.