Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Hey Moustache Fancy a Cuppa


What were washed, brushed, combed, dyed, and curled by Victorian gentlemen? Moustaches!

It must have taken them hours if not weeks to create these styles with a little help from using wax, nets (we girls called them snoods and put the hair of our heads in them), mustache brushes, combs, and mustache scissors. Mustaches were grown in all shapes and sizes, and the amount of stiff pomade that must have been  required to hold the hairs in place led to many drawing room disasters.

Problems arose when going for afternoon tea parties. Steam from the hot drinks melted their mustache wax and sent it dribbling down the chin,(attractive) sometimes streaked with dye, (doubly attractive) dribbling right into their cup along with the by then droopy mustache.  The other dilemma was that coffees and teas would stain and discolour the bottoms of many mustaches. I would be reaching for the razor about now!

An English potter in around 1830 named Harvey Adams introduced the first mustache cup. The cup had a ledge called a “mustache guard” that stretched across the inside of the cup from rim to rim. The guard had one semicircular opening against the rim of the cup to allow the user’s mustache to rest safely on the guard. The invention of the mustache cup spread over Europe until most potters featured a product with a similar design. Between the years 1850-1900, famous manufacturers such as Meissen, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Bayreuth, Limoges and others created their own versions of this masculine tableware. Can you imagine a good snog with some of these! I think not. As for some of the cups they are very attractive and I just can't seem to visualise any of these guys trying to drink from them, can you?
Well then again!!!



5 comments:

CrippleHorse said...

I had lots of fun reading this
:))

DESPINA

Blue Wave Glass said...

Always loved Tom's mustache...the other's I am not so sure about!
Nice post, made me smile! :)

Krishenkas Treasures said...

Morning girls:) today's the day! There were so many wierd styles to choose from out on the net. Blue waves thanks for the name I have been digging in my brain for that. My DH has a tash just like his, although greying now but still yummy.

Marissa said...

Does anybody know the value of the Moustache cup with the gentleman's face on it? I found one today except mine is green. Thanks!
Marissa

Krishenkas Treasures said...

Maybe worth googling the image Marissa might turn up some similar and give you an idea, nice find.

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