Object Type
This teapot is made from a tin and copper alloy with the addition of a small amount of lead. In appearance it is similar to pewter.

Manufacture
The alloy is similar to Britannia metal, which consists of 90% tin, 8-10% antimony and small quantities of copper and bismuth. By tradition the recipe for Britannia metal was acquired by James Vickers, a craftsman engaged in the Sheffield metal trade, in 1769 for five shillings from 'a person taken very ill'. Unlike pewter wares, which are usually formed by casting, Britannia metal wares were produced by stamping from sheets of metal. Decorative features, such as cast mouldings, feet and handles, were soldered to the body. Stamped wares were light and thin, and as they required less metal than pewter, were much cheaper. The use of Britannia metal played a significant part in the decline of pewter in Britain, especially in the 19th century. Tea services were among the most popular products made in Britannia metal and its related alloys. In the 1830s, when this teapot was made, Sheffield and Birmingham were developing the use of machine tools, such as stamping presses, and the electroplating process, by which these alloys could be given a coating of silver, ensured the continuing popularity of the alloy up to the First World War.

Maker
The white metal alloy industry, which includes pewter and Britannia metal, was started in Sheffield by James Vickers, who died in 1809. The firm passed into different hands but still retained the brand name Vickers, usually accompanied by the words 'Britannia Place' or 'Sheffield'.