H97.101.19

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 of porcelain glazed in white with a pale yellow over-glaze. Over the yellow was applied fat brushstrokes or blotches in several tones of purple; this has a slight luster to it. There is a black decal on the front depicting a scene from the 1904 World's Fair at the Cascades, St. Louis. Metallic gold encircles this decal and decorates the lip; four tiny feet and and elaborate handle hane also been painted gold. There is some trace of an additional gold decal (flowers or leaves?) that may have once decorated the sides of the cup but has no been almost completely abraded. The body of the cup is embellished with a pressed pattern; there are small balls in the groove between the fluted lip and the body and scallops along the lower portion. The bottom has been marked with black paint with the letter "D." B: saucer matches the cup in materials and decoration, although it has no decal, only the yellow and purple glazes and metallic gold stripe aliong its rim. It is also pressed with patterns of balls and scallops. It is slightly warped in shape. About this cup and saucer, the donor said: "It's warped. [That means it was] hand made."

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