Cambric tea (1859, 1860, 1869)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   OED has 1888 for "cambric tea," U.S., hot milk and water, given to children in place of tea.
   Hm, maybe I can lecture on this at the Oxford Symposium this September:
http://www.antoniotombolini.it/ilmercato/silvijadavidson/ofs2003.htm

   The earliest BROOKLYN EAGLE citation is 1887.  I was surprised to see the NEW YORK TIMES beat it so badly:


Classified Ad 1 -- No Title; New York Times (1857-Current file), New York, N.Y.; Feb 2, 1859; pg. 3, 1 pgs
Col. 4:
_CAMBRIC TEA._
  Read
HEALTH AND DISEASE.
  H. B. PRICE, Publisher,
  No. 3 Everett House, New-York.

(AMERICAN PERIODICAL SERIES)
 Saturday Evening Post (1839-1885), Philadelphia; Mar 13, 1869, Iss. 0
  1.  THE MARKETS.; pg. 3, 1 pgs
Pg. 3:  They have had a "Hard Times party" in Wisconsin.  The invitations were written on brown paper, and requested the guests to dress in their old clothes.  Bean soup, crackers, and dried herrings constituted the refreshments, with "cambric tea" and water to wash them down.  The guest walked home.

Saturday Evening Post (1839-1885), Philadelphia; Oct 20, 1860, Iss. 0
  2.  REARING CHILDREN.; pg. 8, 1 pgs
Pg. 8:  Should have nothing for supper but a single cup of warm drink, such as very weak tea of some kind, a cambric tea or warm milk and water, with one slice of cold bread and butter--nothing else.