Until the mid-1800s, the wooden surfaces of elegant tea tables were unadorned by tablecloths or lace runners. Silver kettle, teapot, little bowls, and all other fine accoutrements required for brewing and serving tea sat neatly upon polished maple, walnut, or oak. Then, during the second half of the 19th century, as the industrial revolution mechanized the manufacture of textiles, factories in both Britain and America began to turn out affordable fabrics, pretty tablecloths, tray cloths, and dainty napkins that appealed to all classes in every home where afternoon tea had become a regular, almost essential part of social life. Hundreds of women, of course, made their own fancy tablecloths and napkins and looked out for new designs and patterns in women’s magazines. In October 1891, Shops and Shopping wrote: “Now…
