Cup, Coffee

Description

Small porcelain cup for coffee or tea with a small ear-shaped handle with an oval finger hole. Interior of the cup is plain white. Around the exterior rim of the cup are two thin black lines with a light-green stripe 9/32" wide. The foot of the cup has a single thin black line around it. The handle has a similar line running down the middle of it, which tapers off, stopping before the handle meets the cup. Across the front of the cup, underneath the top border is light-green transfer-printed text, in all caps, which reads "SHAKERS MT. LEBANON N.Y.". The font of the text is outlined with white spaces, giving the lettering a three-dimensional quality. Framing the text are two hand-painted floral bouquets made up of a brown branches, dual-green stems and flowers. The floral decoration nearest the "S" contains five purple flowers, one with seven purple petals around a yellow floral disc, three with three petals and yellow floral discs, and a fifth with two petals. The other floral design is to the right of the "Y". This bouquet has four orange flowers. The largest flower has two heart-shaped and three tripartite petals around a yellow floral disc with a brown center, another with one tripartite petal with an oval petal on each side, and two more flowers with a single heart-shaped petal each.

Notes

On October 12, 1886 Benjamin Gates, Cornelia French, and Mary Hazard of the Church family traveled to New York City to order plates from Union Porcelain Works. On February 20, 1887 a note in Anna Dodgsons journal refers to new plates with "Shaker & c". These are the only dishes marked with a community name.