A Study of Late Victorian Tea Advertising in The Illustrated London News

The late Victorian era, during which tea advertisements with illustrations were frequently published in the Illustrated London News, was a time when tea culture flourished and, in conjunction with the British Empire, became the foundation of today’s black tea culture. This study aimed to examine the tea advertisements of the United Kingdom Tea Company, Lipton, and Mazawattee Tea Company, published in this periodical in the late 19th century, and to understand the characteristic of the teas sold and their promotional strategies. To this end, the tea advertisements were reviewed to analyze the types, prices, and packaging of the teas. The three companies sold blended teas from China, India, and Ceylon or pure Ceylon tea, all of which turned out to be oxidized teas. The price of tea varied depending on the type and grade of the tea. Among the types of tea, Ceylon tea was the most expensive, and among the tea companies, Lipton's tea was the cheapest, and Mazawattee Tea's tea was sold at the highest price. The packaging of tea varied depending on the capacity and price, and included bags, canisters, chests, packets, tins, and hampers. Through the visual imagery of the tea advertisements, we inferred that tea companies used various techniques and strategies to promote tea and that they played a role in uniting the British people.