Ceylon, circa 1880
by W. L. H. Skeen & Co

Now one of the top three tea producing nations in the world, Ceylon (currently Sri Lanka) has been exporting some of the finest and most aromatic teas since 1875, when the first shipment of Ceylon Tea arrived on the auction blocks in London. This photograph, one of a series of 30 taken by the firm W. L. H. Skeen documenting the tea industry, shows crates of tea on the wharf in Colombo (the capital city) being prepared for shipment.