Pinkies Up? | 17th- and 18th-Century Tea Etiquette| Historical Tea Session
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- čas přidán 22. 11. 2020
- Today, I’m investigating some of the theories behind the raised pinky in tea-drinking.
Painting credit: “A Family of Three at Tea,” by Richard Collins
collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O5...
Etiquette Guides:
Emily Post (1922): www.gutenberg.org/files/14314/...
Miss Leslie’s Behaviour Book (1864): www.gutenberg.org/files/37988/...
Ladies’ Book of Etiquette (1860): www.gutenberg.org/files/35123...
Miss Manners: www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...
Early English Meals and Manners (collected 1868): www.gutenberg.org/files/24790/...
Boke of Nurture (1450s): www.gutenberg.org/files/24790/...
Boke of Curtasye (1460): www.gutenberg.org/files/24790/...
Boke of Keruynge (1513): www.gutenberg.org/files/24790/...
New to tea? Not sure where to start? Looking to branch out? Check out my Tea Primer: tealeavesandtweed.com/tea-pri...
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Music:
“Theme for a One-Handed Piano Concerto” by Sir Cubworth
I believe it is about physics. The pinkie out provides more balance to your cup which will most definitely be important when you don’t want tea spilled all over you. At the same time, try to sit in front of the mirror and look at your hand holding the cup with your pinkie in and then with your pinkie out. The pinkie in makes the hand look like a club whereas the pinkie out makes the hand look more elegant.
Thank you so much for this video it is both very informative and helpful as I'm working on a 18th century novel and am currently researching ettiqute and behavior/practices from the time = )
Hilarious! Just discovered these tea sessions thanks to Poirot.
Thank you! I've learned something!
Haha I found this so interesting, I found so many mixed messages too when I was searching (and the pinky as a ‘signal’ had me clawing back out of the rabbit hole). Great video 👏👏👏💕
And that is, by definition, 'the tea'! I really enjoyed this. #TeamJenn
Just found your channel, your passion really shows and it's rather sweet ♥
Gonna be a fun night binging your videos!
I think you already hit the correct explanation, without realizing it;
Cups without handles.
If you hold these, you inevitably use two fingers to grasp the bowl, delicately, and the rest of the fingers somewhat away from the hot bowl.
The hand is essentially in an open state and the fingers incl. Pinkie stick out. But not like an antenna.
Numerous depictions show people holding glasses, cups and many other things.. they tend to show well to do people holding basically everything in a delicate and not hamfisted way.
Fingers often are free and gracefully held.
But describe that once and play a game of telephone with that description, and you end up with claims of pinkies splayed out like antennae.
TLDR:
Likely extended pinkies are a faulty idea derived from taking too literally imprecise descriptions.
Ahhhh so interesting ! I had never thought about the meaning behind pinkies up! I always just thought it was just a bit posh 🙈
Very interesting historical tea session :)
Great job
Interesting video. Its still a mystery to me. I always linked it to some type of formal manners. I find myself doing it randomly sometimes 🤷🏾♂️
My pinky sticks out b/c I have big hands and only 4 fingers on my hand can fit on a cup's handle. But that's not what you mean LOL.
I don’t think it’s originally an aesthetic thing at all.
If you only use your thumb and the first two fingers,the pinkie almost naturally raises up.
You have to consciously hold the pinkie down.
Seriously,try it,the pinky kind of just raises.
Ok it became associated with higher classes,but only because they were the ones drinking tea,so it was observed,and the manifestation stuck,a new bit of physical language entered the diction.
What the hell did i just watch and what's with that terrifying smile😂😮?!