If you are giving a mo a go for the first time during Movember, then here’s something you may not have considered before: how do you avoid getting a droopy, wet moustache while having a cuppa?
In the late 1800s, magnificently moustachioed men (like Captain Watt above) dodged this dilemna by drinking from specially designed cups. These cups had a protective ledge inside that liquid could still flow past.
Paradoxically, while the cups were adpated to cope with male facial hair, many had feminine decorations, like the one pictured below.
- Moustache cup, 1900s Gift of Mrs N Stanford, 1965. Te Papa
Today, these ceramics are now consigned to history, probably due to moustaches shrinking and social etiquette relaxing. But – can anyone think of another theory about the decline of the moustache cup?
Go to Collections Online to see a moustache cup and saucer made to celebrate a royal event.
Hey Guys,
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Josh
Fascinating! So you would have to tuck the ceramic ledge up under the moustache to keep it out fo the liquid? Could these cope with the froth of a cappuchino, had moustachioed men been drinking these around 1900?
I think the ledge acted as a discreet guard.
These cups were definitely not invented for frothy drinks or coffee – but I wonder how Italian men coped.
Kirstie