H97.101.17

The cups and saucers in this collection come from Della's Tea Cup Cafe, 7309 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, which was established in February, 1967. The cafe is noted for, and decorated with, a very large collection of tea cups. Some of the cups were purchased by the owner, others were presented to her as gifts, while still others were made for her. This cup is in very poor condition: it has white and tan deposits throughout, black dirt and carbon and possible crystalllization inside, and a warped base. This fits with the donors claim that it survived the San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906. It is of metal, aluminum or tin, with a collapsible structure of five graduated rings on a round base. These were popular travel cups. There is a round, 1/2 inch diameter, indentation in the center of the bottom. The donor commented: "When I was a little girl growing up, my mom had a collapsible cup. But it wasn't like this; it was shiny. This one went through the earthquake and fire in 1906. It still has the dirt in it. Always kept it here [in a pink plastic box] to preserve it."

Used: Della's Tea Cup Cafe | Della Hardmon Guess | African American | Drinking | Lynn Neighborhood