Our exposition includes a tea-box produced by the Perlovs company. It is a rectangular box of transparent light-blue glass with an iron lid. Moscow learned about tea only in 1638. Merchants started bringing tea to Russia from Chine in 1697, and until the 1720s, sales of tea were quite sporadic.
The Perlovs were a family of tea traders, of the Moscow tradespeople descent. The first tea merchant in the dynasty was Alexei Ivanovich. In 1787 he started a tea retail business in Moscow stores. In 1807, the Senate granted him the right to use the family name Perlov. The legend has it that a river was flowing by the house of the future tea merchants, and there were a lot of pearls in that river. So, the name Perlov comes from the Russian word for ‘pearl.’ Apart from farming, the men of the family were engaged in skin diving, a very dangerous and difficult business.
In the early 19th century, Perlov’s business was on the rise. He belonged to the 2nd Trade Guild of Moscow. This fact granted him the right for retail and wholesale trade Russia-wide. Alexei was among the first people who introduced the Russian citizens to tea and made it popular. In 1830, the Perlovs were promoted to the highest, 1st Trade Guild. This gave them the opportunity to conduct wholesale trade in other countries, too.
The Perlovs were a family of tea traders, of the Moscow tradespeople descent. The first tea merchant in the dynasty was Alexei Ivanovich. In 1787 he started a tea retail business in Moscow stores. In 1807, the Senate granted him the right to use the family name Perlov. The legend has it that a river was flowing by the house of the future tea merchants, and there were a lot of pearls in that river. So, the name Perlov comes from the Russian word for ‘pearl.’ Apart from farming, the men of the family were engaged in skin diving, a very dangerous and difficult business.
In the early 19th century, Perlov’s business was on the rise. He belonged to the 2nd Trade Guild of Moscow. This fact granted him the right for retail and wholesale trade Russia-wide. Alexei was among the first people who introduced the Russian citizens to tea and made it popular. In 1830, the Perlovs were promoted to the highest, 1st Trade Guild. This gave them the opportunity to conduct wholesale trade in other countries, too.
By mid-1800, the name Perlov became rather big in trade. Their tea was famous for its high quality and their stores sold tea in packages of all sizes, so that even poorer people could afford good tea. The Perlovs' company received the title “Purveyor to His Imperial Majesty.” Only the chosen few factory owners and artisans were allowed to put the Imperial coat-of-arms on their products and signs since 1862. Purveyor to His Imperial Majesty—this title was synonymous with the highest quality in the pre-Revolutionary Russia. Only a very few select companies could use it. Purveying to the court of His Imperial Majesty was an honor—and a responsibility. All Russian manufacturers of that time aspired to receive this title. The tradition of drinking tea became popular in Russia, to a large extent, thanks to the effort of the Perlov family.
