Title
Cup and Saucer
Label
Cup and Saucer
Made in England, 1810-1830
Made of Bone China
Diameter 5.50"
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by W. Groke Mickey
An image of a kneeling slave with the motto “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” decorates this cup and saucer.
Anti-slavery images often appeared on tea wares. Drinking tea was an important social ritual in the 1700s and 1800s, especially for women, and using tea wares decorated with anti-slavery images was a way for them to voice anti-slavery sentiments.
Pieces like this cup and saucer were often bought at anti-slavery fairs, gatherings at which abolitionists heard lectures, bonded with one another and shopped for souvenirs whose sale generated funds for anti-slavery activities. In many cases, these objects were bought by women who used them as a way to make their voices heard at a time when they lacked the right to vote and other ways to effect political change.
Made in England, 1810-1830
Made of Bone China
Diameter 5.50"
Museum Purchase with Funds Provided by W. Groke Mickey
An image of a kneeling slave with the motto “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” decorates this cup and saucer.
Anti-slavery images often appeared on tea wares. Drinking tea was an important social ritual in the 1700s and 1800s, especially for women, and using tea wares decorated with anti-slavery images was a way for them to voice anti-slavery sentiments.
Pieces like this cup and saucer were often bought at anti-slavery fairs, gatherings at which abolitionists heard lectures, bonded with one another and shopped for souvenirs whose sale generated funds for anti-slavery activities. In many cases, these objects were bought by women who used them as a way to make their voices heard at a time when they lacked the right to vote and other ways to effect political change.
Citation
“Cup and Saucer,” Museums at Washington and Lee University: Online Exhibits, accessed May 2, 2024, https://exhibits-museums.omeka.wlu.edu/items/show/16.