Moustache Cup and Saucer c. 1940

Curator: Our next piece is "Moustache Cup and Saucer," a charming watercolor completed around 1940 by Hal Blakeley. What’s your first reaction? Editor: It has a certain delicate, almost nostalgic quality. The palette is quite subdued. It seems to me like a memento from a quieter, more polite era. Curator: Indeed. Cups and saucers, particularly of this design with the raised section inside for the user’s moustache, signal class and sophistication. What makes it even more interesting is how these cups arose. The upper classes had increasingly bushy moustaches in this period and moustaches were often stained by tea, making these cups desirable amongst fashionable men. Editor: It's interesting you point out the functionality of the design. Function can so profoundly influence imagery. I see here the use of berries and their stems as decoration. Given the historical context of class, does the berry design suggest perhaps a return to nature? Or perhaps the desire for leisure activities typically carried out in the countryside? Curator: That's certainly a reading one could argue for. Alternatively, it also appears to me that the choice of watercolors lends itself well to representing more domestic scenes like breakfasts, tea sets and lunch tables, which were also more commonly associated with female leisure. The rise of interior decoration as a pursuit for middle class woman in this era seems particularly noteworthy here. Editor: That makes sense; women began to have more agency in the way household decorations and purchasing operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thinking about it, berries were often picked and even painted by middle class woman to both sell and to decorate their houses. They would have been associated with these designs and objects, which likely grew in appeal as consumer culture evolved. Curator: I completely agree. To close, one must admire Blakeley’s clever capture of period desires. In particular, I appreciate the watercolor finish that hints towards female artistry but simultaneously allows the cup to retain connotations of male style. Editor: Definitely a complex dance of imagery that makes the artwork quietly beguiling. I'll never look at tea the same way again!