Food service: Tea cup and saucer, belonging to P. T. Barnum (photo)
English porcelain
P. T. Barnum (associated with)
1840 – 1850 (Date manufactured/created)
Large white teacup and saucer decorated in gold and featuring the initials of P. T. Barnum on the saucer.
It is one of a set, of which the Barnum Museum owns four, and most likely dates to the first half of the 1800s.
The teacup and saucer do not appear to be part of the dinnerware porcelain that Barnum describes purchasing from the estate auction of a Russian prince or nobleman who had been living in Paris. Rather, the teacup and saucer are a product of an English pottery. Possibly Barnum and his wife purchased the tea set while they were in England in 1844 or early 1845, prior to their time in France when Barnum acquired the Russian dinner service.
A tiny "C" maker mark in red oxide is evident on the underside of both cup and saucer; the factory that used that symbol may be Worcester, but further research is needed to determine the maker. The cup has a ring handle with a small thumb rest at the top, and a curved rim with a wide band of gold on the inside. The exterior of the cup has raised pattern areas in the upper part, with C-shaped ornaments and flourishes, and a single band at the mid-line. The shallow saucer is similarly decorated around the border and has the same raised pattern. A double ring defines the center where the cup is placed, and within the inner circle, the initials "PTB" are painted in script. The diameter of the cup is 4 3/8 inches and its height is 3 3/8 inches, not the usual dainty proportions. The saucer is 7 1/8 inches.
According to P.T. Barnum's autobiography, he bought his elaborately decorated china and a gilt silver tea service while on tour in Europe with Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb.) This was a three-year tour, from 1844 to 1846; the majority of their time was spent in England, and on tour in the British Isles. Staffordshire, an area of central England, was noted for their many pottery factories, and possibly Barnum purchased the teacups while on tour in that area.
It is one of a set, of which the Barnum Museum owns four, and most likely dates to the first half of the 1800s.
The teacup and saucer do not appear to be part of the dinnerware porcelain that Barnum describes purchasing from the estate auction of a Russian prince or nobleman who had been living in Paris. Rather, the teacup and saucer are a product of an English pottery. Possibly Barnum and his wife purchased the tea set while they were in England in 1844 or early 1845, prior to their time in France when Barnum acquired the Russian dinner service.
A tiny "C" maker mark in red oxide is evident on the underside of both cup and saucer; the factory that used that symbol may be Worcester, but further research is needed to determine the maker. The cup has a ring handle with a small thumb rest at the top, and a curved rim with a wide band of gold on the inside. The exterior of the cup has raised pattern areas in the upper part, with C-shaped ornaments and flourishes, and a single band at the mid-line. The shallow saucer is similarly decorated around the border and has the same raised pattern. A double ring defines the center where the cup is placed, and within the inner circle, the initials "PTB" are painted in script. The diameter of the cup is 4 3/8 inches and its height is 3 3/8 inches, not the usual dainty proportions. The saucer is 7 1/8 inches.
According to P.T. Barnum's autobiography, he bought his elaborately decorated china and a gilt silver tea service while on tour in Europe with Charles S. Stratton (General Tom Thumb.) This was a three-year tour, from 1844 to 1846; the majority of their time was spent in England, and on tour in the British Isles. Staffordshire, an area of central England, was noted for their many pottery factories, and possibly Barnum purchased the teacups while on tour in that area.
Bequest of Arleen P. Seeley
2007.002.042