We are having balmy January days here in Nebraska, but people in colder parts of the country may be glad to know that January is National Hot Tea Month. While there are only a few days left in the month, a hot cup of tea is always a good way to ward off the winter chill. A look through Nebraska Memories reveals that tea has been a part of people’s lives for many years.

Tea cups are featured on this Fremont family’s table as they gather in their kitchen for a meal. Photographs from the William Wallace residence in Omaha show a tea kettle in the kitchen and silver tea sets in the dining room and parlor.

Although there may not have been actual tea involved, in my opinion, some of the sweetest tea-related pictures in Nebraska Memories are the images of children having tea parties. There are several posed portraits of children with tea sets in the Butler County Gallery collection, including this photograph of Dorothy Rich sitting with a doll and a stuffed bunny. The Nebraska State Historical Society collection includes a less formal image of children playing with a tea set in a barn.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Historical Services Librarian, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.