Clayton Historical Society

Tea For Two
A collection of teapots
CLAYTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
6101 Main St., Clayton
The museum is open on Sunday and Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. until
4:00 p.m. and also by appointment.
Call (925) 672-0240 for an appointment or for more information.
When Kathleen Bailey collects teapots, she collects more than just the pot. She gathers the memories and stories each teapot represents.
Bailey, who owns about 75 teapots, shares a part of her collection with the public through an exhibit at the Clayton Historical Museum just in time for Mother's Day. She's been collecting teapots since the 1970s, usually finding them in flea markets and antique stores.
Every design, color and size imaginable can be seen on display -- from Asian to European styles and old-fashioned American designs.
Bailey recalls that her mother was a woman ahead of her time. She was already into green tea decades before people started touting its benefits.
Years later, she received her first teapot -- an English teapot shaped in the form of a house -- in the 1970s from her husband.
'It was my pride and joy,' she said. 'This was what started it all.'
Since then, Bailey's been hitting the local flea markets and thrift shops in search of unusual teapots to add to her growing collection. She would even pick up a few teapots during her travels.
'Then it got to be like a sickness,' she joked. 'It was a fun thing to do. The weather would be nice and I'd pick up a teapot or two.'
A purple teapots stands out and closer inspection reveals it was made by Bailey herself.
'I painted it purple because you don't see teapots in purple,' she said.
Original article
By Janice De Jesus