VISUAL ACTIVITY Tea and Sugar in the 1760s In the mid-eighteenth century, rising sugarcane production in the West Indies transformed sugar into a commonplace commodity in the English-speaking world. It became a desired taste indulged in by the elite classes (as pictured here) and by non-elites. At the center of this 1764 painting, titled “The Honeymoon,” a young woman delicately drops a sugar cube into her husband’s cup of tea. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Museum Purchase READING THE IMAGE: How does the artist convey the relationship between the two people? How does the sugar contribute to the theme of youthful romance? CONNECTIONS: Why did sugar and molasses—newly popular and exotic stimulants—become politicized in the 1760s?