Sunday, February 12, 2012

Mustache Cups

Not garden related:

Winter has came back with a vengeance here in the hills. With raw high winds and a couple more inches of snow making it miserable outside. I am going off the gardening topic today because I just do not have anything. LOL! More seeds were sowed but other than that we have hunkered down indoors where it is  warm.

My Grandma Eveland gave me several antique items that she owned. She knew I loved old pieces and family heirlooms even before her passing and before I became a genealogy researcher.These items are all precious to me even more so since I am growing older. Most of the items she gave me are not worth much in monetary value but because they were items from the lives of relatives that are now long gone makes them worth more than money to me.
One of the items is a mustache cup that belonged to my great-great uncle Samuel Eveland. Sam was born in 1855 and died in 1938 before I was born but my Grandpa Eveland’s (Doc) resemblance to him is so similar. They were both short, feisty and wiry men.
Sam sported a fantastic mustache so a mustache cup was just the thing to keep that mustache clean while drinking that strong black coffee with a touch of milk in it.


Sam
Samuel Eveland 1855-1938
Since most of the pictures of him are sporting bib overalls that the farmers wore back then there must have been a special occasion for him to be donning a suit. LOL!

Mustache_Cup 
For the younger generation who may not have saw one before, a mustache cup is a drinking cup with a semi circular ledge inside.
The semi circular edge has a hole in it that allowed the fluid to pass through. So while drinking the mustache cup guard keeps the mustache dry and does not get into the liquid.

Mustache_Cup3
It is thought that mustache cups were invented in 1860 by Harvey Adams a British potter. It came from a need for all of those waxed and dyed mustaches in Victorian days so they would not melt dripping wax and dye into the liquid. Tales of women swooning over such a horrible sight could not be allowed and an answer had to be found. I find it hard to believe that women were so wimpy back then and think it made for a great show instead. LOL!
Such fragile gentle creatures. We have come a long way baby!

Mustache_Cup2 Since most mustache cups were sold with saucers if this one had a saucer it has met its demise. Mustache cups were made in all sizes from the dainty to steins. Women loved the idea of gifting there men with them with personalized messages such as “Forget Me Not” or “Love the Giver”. Sets of His and Hers cups soon followed with “Husband” and “Wife” written on them. Mustache cups were even taken along on travels and were frequently chipped, cracked or lost along the way. But adventurous Americans came to the rescue with mustache guards made of silver and tin that could be carried in a pocket and could be quickly attached to a regular cup.
Looking at some of the fellows sporting mustaches today I wonder if a mustache cup wouldn’t be a great gift for some of them now. LOL! Today many reproductions are being made of them so if you are looking for the antique ones it is “buyer be ware”.

BlueJay
With the miserable weather outside the feeders are being over run with birds that are welcoming and pigging out on sunflower seeds. The crows are trying to find a way to get to them but their frustration they are a little large for the feeders. When they appear all of the other birds take off to the trees and then come back flocking after the crows give up.

Cardinal

Everyone Stay Safe,
Lona

Technorati Tags: ,,

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never heard of a mustache cup, well I guess I heard of it, just never saw it. We are experiencing your weather yesterday and today. Wind, cold, and SNOW.

Gardening Under The Influence said...

I don't konow which is odder, the whole mustache cup idea or the thought of a man drinking from such a delicate cup?

A Garden of Threads said...

Winter has returned here as well, brrrrr:(. I never heard of a mustache cup, neat idea.

Randy Emmitt said...

Lona,

Oh my this is just what I need a Mustache cup. Enjoyed this article a great deal, thanks!!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Women swooning? Too funny. Love the little piece of cultured life's history. My husband has a mustache, maybe he should have a mustache mug.

Stephanie said...

Lona, how innovative! Now I know there is such a cup. Thanks for sharing and have a great day! PS: Keep warm.

Diana LaMarre said...

It looks pretty cold for those birds.

I was surprised to see such a feminine cup for a moustache cup!

Balisha said...

I loved seeing one of your treasures. They really had pretty things back in those days. Now days a man wants a "manly" mug...although my Dad always wanted a thin cup with a saucer as I remember now. Our weather has changed too, but winter weather won't last as long now.
Balisha

Lona said...

Just knowing it will not last long now makes it better. LOL!

Lona said...

I know but the cup is a little heavier than it looks. I think because it has flowers on it men today would not use it.LOL!

Lona said...

I am glad I was able to show you one then Jen. Hope your cold does not last long either.

Lona said...

Randy do you have crumbs in your mustache? LOL!

Lona said...

Yeah, can you imagine a woman swooning over such a silly thing? Today we would just point it out to them. LOL!

Lona said...

Glad to show you one Steph. I hope the sold does not last too long.

Lona said...

It is the flowers huh? LOL!

Lona said...

Grandpa did too have a saucer. I think it let his coffee cool faster. It is good to know that the cold will not last long now.

Astrid said...

What a fun post! Your grandfather looked like such a dapper man but also very friendly. He was probably a gardener just like you! Thx for a bit of diversion as we all sit and wait for warm weather!

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

I have never seen or heard of a mustache cup. I love the picture of your great uncle, he looks like a cute man.

HolleyGarden said...

I used to see these for sale quite often when I was a kid. It was quite curious to me. But, now I rarely see them for sale at all. Yours is very pretty, and how nice that it has sentimental value, too. I think we women are not so smart - just think of how easily they trained the men to do whatever they wanted just by swooning! We'd never get by with that now! Our loss, I think!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I love your header picture and the look of your blog.

How interesting about the mustache cups. I'm trying to picture a man with a waxed mustache drinking from a delicate flowered cup, with a resting place for his mustache. :-)

Have a great week and a lovely Valentine's day tomorrow.

Hugs ~ FlowerLady

Sunray Gardens said...

That cup is lovely. It's so nice to have things of the past that our families used.
The bird photos are beautiful.
Cher Sunray Gardens

Gatsbys Gardens said...

I have not seen this type of a cup before, very interesting. Great shots of the birds.

Eileen