H97.101.22

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. A: cup is porcelain with an abstract design: decal outline in black of heart-flower, tear-drop shapes, and a wave or waving tendrils. The area above this design and some of the shapes are glazed in dark grey. The remainder of the cup, including the rounded handle, is glazed in white. The foot is elongated and measures 3/8 inch. The bottom has a manufacturer's mark in dark green that reads: "H & Co., Selb, Bavaria, Germany, Heinrich." B: saucer is also of porcelain with an abstract black decal outline of a wave or waving tendrils, one on each half of the white saucer. Most of the tendrils have been filled in, or glazed, with dark grey. The bottom is glazed in white and is marked with the same H & Co. emblem as the cup. The donor said: "[This design] looks like a flower, like a weeping willow or something. It's art. Like I said, you have to have a reason to collect. Definitely the reason for this one is it's different; it's odd; it's interesting."

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