[ The United Kingdom Tea Company, London. ] Two large advertisements, printed on Japanese tissue paper.

The two advertisements are variants of one another, with much the same text in two columns of small type, surrounded by a decorative border with oriental influence (featuring flamingo, vase, bamboo). Both printed in black ink on one side of a 33 x 26cm piece of tissue. They are frail and unusual survivals: aged and creased with wear and slight loss to the extremities. Both are headed 'UNITED KINGDOM TEA COMPANY | SUPPLY THE FINEST TEA IN THE WORLD | FIRST HAND, DIRECT FROM THE MINCING LANE MARKET.' One is headed, in fancy type: 'THIS PAPER IS MADE IN JAPAN & IS A CURIOSITY'. The two advertisements are variants of one another, with much the same text in two columns of small type, surrounded by a decorative border with oriental influence (featuring flamingo, vase, bamboo). Both printed in black ink on one side of a 33 x 26cm piece of tissue. They are frail and unusual survivals: aged and creased with wear and slight loss to the extremities. One is headed, with the first line outside the border in fancy type: 'THIS PAPER IS MADE IN JAPAN & IS A CURIOSITY | UNITED KINGDOM TEA COMPANY | SUPPLY THE FINEST TEA IN THE WORLD | FIRST HAND, DIRECT FROM THE MINCING LANE MARKET.' The second is headed by the following text, in small type and again outside the border: 'COPYRIGHT. The duty paid Stores of The United Kingdom Tea Company are fitted with machinery worked by the most approved steam power, the machines begin capable of mixing and turning out upwards of 3,000 pounds weight of Tea per hour. The Tea is not in any way touched by hand.' The text of both versions begins: 'MINCING LANE, LONDON, is one of the most notable places in the world. England's vast Colonial possessions, and her supremacy on the seas, have made her the great centre for the reception of the produce of the globe; and these productions, grown in all countries, under various conditions of climate, by different races of people, are brought for disposal to the Commercial Sale Rooms, a huge pile of buildings situated in Mincing Lane, London. Tea from China, India, Ceylon, and Java; Sugar from the West Indies; Coffee from Arabia; Cotton and Tobacco from America; Spices from the far West; Cocoa from Trinidad; Dried Fruits from Lisbon and Bordeaux; Wines from the Continent, and innumerable other articles of consumption are sold there daily all the year round; and it is estimated that goods to the value of nearly £1,000,000 sterling change hands every day in this remarkable building, universally admitted to be the Produce Market of the whole World.' The United Kingdom Tea Company was active in the 1880s and 1890s, and was noted for its imaginative advertising campaigns.