Joseph and Mary E. Armstrong, gifted Mary Baker Eddy this hot chocolate pot set in 1895, which included a hot chocolate pot hand-painted with six different types of flowers, along with six cups and saucers, each one painted with one of the six types of flowers. The hand-painting on the set is attributed to Mary E. Armstrong. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, elaborate chocolate services came into fashion. China painting was also a popular activity for Victorian women, and companies produced undecorated china "blanks," including chocolate pots, that could be painted at home. Eddy wrote to Armstrong with appreciation for the gift: "How can I tell you how much I value your beautiful souvenir and Christmas gift," Eddy wrote her on December 27, 1895, "It is too pretty for me to comment on. I took my first drink out of one of its beautiful cups on Christmas..." (Mary Baker Eddy to Mary Armstrong, Dec. 27, 1895, 1926.004.0008, Longyear Museum Collection.) This set is now in the collections of the Longyear Museum.