H97.101.24

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 and shaped like a mug. It is glazed in white with alternating areas of light yellow and baby blue around the middle of the sides. The cup itself is molded: striped diaper pattern in the baby blue areas, rounded indentations in the yellow, a "twisted" band at the top and the base, and small circles on each of the three feet. A deep reddish purple glaze outlines the blue and yellow areas and creates diagonal stripes along the twisted bands, resembling a peppermint cane or barbershop pole. The yellow areas have been hand painted in rust-brown with flowers and branches; there are tiny yellow dots emphasizing the centers of the flowers. Three tiny yellow dots are vertically placed in each blue area. There are two metallic gold stripes on the inside lip and two along the front side of the handle, which is molded into pointed segments. B: saucer is square, with upturned corners, and of porcelain with the same colors as the cup. Two sided have a bordered edge: the outermost is the twisted molding with purple stripes over white glaze and gold squiggly lines; the innermost band is baby blue over the striped diaper pattern, the stripes and outlines being delineated in gold. The rest of the saucer appears as an off-set square of yellow glaze, with a white circle in the true center of the piece. The top left corner has a rust-brown flower design matching those on the cup; on either side of it are two smaller branches. These have all been detailed with tiny yellow dots. The bottom is glazed in white and there are no markings. The donor said: "Everyday you don't see a square [saucer]."

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