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, an alluring young bride delicately drops a sugar cube into her husband’s cup of tea.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Museum Purchase.