Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn: A Social History of the Tea Room Craze in America [Hardcover]

Jan Whitaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0312290640 | ISBN-13: 978-0312290641 | Edition: 1st

The Gypsy Tea Kettle. Polly's Cheerio Tea Room. The Mad Hatter. The Blue Lantern Inn. These are just a few of the many tea rooms - most owned and operated by women -- that popped up across America at the turn of the last century, and exploded into a full-blown craze by the 1920s. Colorful, cozy, festive, and inviting, these new-fangled eateries offered women a way to celebrate their independence and creativity. Sparked by the Suffragist movement, Prohibition, and the rise of the automobile, tea rooms forever changed the way America eats out, and laid the groundwork for the modern small restaurant and coffee bar.

In this lively, well-researched book, Jan Whitaker brings us back to the exciting days when countless American women dreamed of opening their own tea room - and many did. From the Bohemian streets of New York's Greenwich Village to the high-society tea rooms of Chicago's poshest hotels, from the Colonial roadside tea houses of New England to the welcoming bungalows of California, the book traces the social, artistic, and culinary changes the tea room helped bring about.

Anyone interested in women's history, the early days of the automobile, the Bohemian lives of artists in Greenwich Village, and the history of food and drink will revel in this spirited, stylish, and intimate slice of America's past.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Whitaker conducts a delightful tour of the tearooms that dotted the nation in the first half of the twentieth century. The arrival of the automobile, the pursuit of a more independent lifestyle by women of divergent social classes, and the era of Prohibition combined to spawn a new type of eating establishment that catered to women desiring refuge, respite, and refreshment. Many of these tearooms were also owned and operated by women who sought either financial autonomy or a creative outlet in a man's world. Representing both freedom and social niceties, tearooms served as models of a new type of etiquette, one that encouraged adventure within the strict bounds of breeding and good manners. As the craze caught fire and transportation became more available, tearooms spread from urban centers to small towns, country roads, and rural outposts. Readers will relish this irresistible slice of American popular culture. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Jan Whitaker is a freelance writer and editor who writes about food and the history of American consumer culture. Her subjects have included fad diets, breakfast cereals, and women restaurateurs. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she has been collecting tea room memorabilia for over ten years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312290640
• ISBN-13: 978-0312290641
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a consumer historian who is fascinated by the intersection of commerce with our everyday lives. I am particularly interested in department stores and restaurants.

Although I had previously written about U.S. department stores, research for this book proved to be quite challenging. It was lucky that I had the free services of a German speaking translator! I think many readers will find the German department stores of special interest since they have received much less attention than the French and English.

One of the things I discovered when I wrote the book is that, despite their individual characteristics, the world's department stores have always had a great deal in common and have all borrowed and shared ideas.

The book is beautifully illustrated with photographs and memorabilia on every single page, many of them in color.

At the moment I am taking a break from preparing a talk I will give next week on the topic of department store tea rooms. As you might expect, I'll be talking about well-known stores such as Marshall Field's, Wanamaker's, and Altman's -- along with too many others to list. Tea rooms actually are the bridge between my first book about the history of tea rooms, Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn, and my second book on the history of American department stores, Service and Style. About three years ago I started a blog called Restaurant-ing through history which is about the history of American restaurants, including tea rooms of course.

Look up my website on the history of department stores (www.departmentstorehistory.net), on which I have a Q&A page. Believe me, the questions posted there keep me on my toes!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming and Refreshing, December 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn: A Social History of the Tea Room Craze in America (Hardcover)

With all the books on tea that have come out lately, it's amazing it took this long for anyone to do a book on the tea room, but it was worth the wait. Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn is a beautiful, witty and informative book. The illustrations are especially fine, with lots of rare advertising ephemera, great images from menus and signs, and historical photos.

The anecdotes from the heyday of the tea room are delightful -- and often very funny. Combined with the illustrations and the wealth of detail woven into the "history" aspects of the book, these give a vivid portrait of the character of tea rooms and their proprietors. The number of prominent people in 20th century America who used to hang out in tea rooms is amazing.

The book is ambitious in giving an overview of all kinds of tea rooms throughout the U.S., and it succeeds in convincing me that many things we now think of as normal in a good restaurant were innovations of tea rooms of the past.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What fun - Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn, January 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn: A Social History of the Tea Room Craze in America (Hardcover)

This book takes a new and enthusiastic look at the women's movement of the early 20th Century - the social side! Women getting out, driving cars away from their homes and routines to get together and figure it all out.

There's nothing delicate or dainty about this tell-it-like-it-was study. Jan Whitaker presents in lay person's terms - what was a new horizon for women, where the woman's touch began to infiltrate the hospitality industry, and a whole lot more.

A thoroughly researched subject, a beautifully designed book and a great collection of pictures. "Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn" is tops!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish we still had tea rooms!, January 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Tea at the Blue Lantern Inn: A Social History of the Tea Room Craze in America (Hardcover)

We are given a fascinating glimpse back into the early 1900s, when women were opening their own restaurants, and where ladies now could enjoy luncheons and teatime without being escorted by men.

Another major change was occurring due to the automobile, making countryside excursions popular. This was the perfect time to open roadside restaurants. Whether country places or city tea rooms, the proprietors took pride in serving the kind of food they would prepare in their own homes. It is a contrast from the monotony of today's chain restaurants.

The author's extensive research into this era will interest anyone curious about an early example of social changes that ultimately combined with others to result in the emancipation of women in the 20th century.

This beautiful book is enriched with delightful old photos, postcards, advertisements, and color illustrations that bring the period alive.