Who’s Who @ WMODA · Dr. Unjeria Jackson – WMODA

by Louise Irvine

Dr. Unjeria Jackson recently moved to Florida and she brought her incredible collection of 2,000 teapots with her although not all can be displayed at once in her new home. She has loaned some of her most whimsical treasures to WMODA for our Mad Hatter’s Tea exhibit and you can hear about her passion for collecting teapots on Friday, February 25.

Dr. Jackson is a retired obstetrician-gynecologist from Mendham, New Jersey. As relaxation during her 20-year career in maternal-fetal medicine, she pursued her love of tea and teapots. She began collecting in 1994 and has acquired teapots from all over the world. “I really don’t care where it’s from; I just buy what I think is pretty,” but she added that she has become more selective over the years. One of her recent purchases was a whimsical Ardmore teapot from the Safari Dance exhibit at WMODA.

Teapots by Design: A Collectors’ Catalog was written by Dr. Jackson in 2006 and features her photographs of 450 prized pieces from her collection. She also lends her teapots for the annual Collectible Teapot Calendar by Workman Publishing. In 2011, she exhibited some of her finest teapots at the Morris Museum in New Jersey, and highlights from her collection were featured in the New York Times. We are thrilled that she will be showing some choice pieces from her collection at WMODA.

Dr. Jackson’s teapot collection has taught her a lot. “The history of tea and teapots is intricately woven into the history of the world. After water, tea is taken more than any other beverage,” she said. She grew up in a tea-drinking family and keeps about 70 varieties of tea at home. She brews tea at least twice a day and never from teabags. The ritual of morning and afternoon tea, she said, is “soothing to the soul.” She added, “And it’s even better if you’re having it with friends or family.”