Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Green Transferware, Happy Birthday Washington State, Veteran's Day

Hi and welcome to Tuesday Cuppa Tea...on a stormy and windy evening here in Washington State...after a stormy few days with power outages and downed trees all around...but we managed to be unscathed....

But this is the Pacific Northwest...first to get the storms that move in from the vast Pacific Ocean. This was the last of a big storm from out there in the Pacific. We are called  the Evergreen State...and there's a reason. So...I have an 1880s Antique Staffordshire green transferware teacup trio today.

The cup and saucer with matching plate is unmarked ironstone, which is normal for this era. It was not really required until 1890, when the McKinley Tariff Act required that any item entering the US must have the country of origin marked on it, and as England exported vast amounts of china and other goods to the US market, they began to comply. In the earlier 19th century, marks were only used by big, important potteries, or celebrity wannabees....

Most of the Staffordshire potteries didn't mark their wares either, although the British Registry system came into being...better known as the kite mark...in 1839 and many of the larger potteries used it.

The mark gave wonderful information about type of wares, date and manufacturer....

\These 2 graphics are from The Potteries.org...because I couldn't photograph any I had as well as these...

But...alas...this set has none..although it is pretty easy to date by material, shape and transfer type. Transferware of the 1800s get usually lumped into the term Antique Staffordshire, because that's where 99% of it was made, from hundreds of small potteries that existed. Lovely things from another time....

The reason I chose green this week IS for the Evergreen State...Washington State, because Washington was admitted to the US as a state on November 11, 1889...and this could have been sitting on a tea table as the news was celebrated.

This is our state flag......

And our state nickname.....Just a little flag waving here....

I also want to remember our veterans...of all wars...who have fought for our freedom. We owe you so much.  My second cousin is entombed on the Arizona from the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. It is an eerie place to visit, as we did again this last April...

It makes Veterans Day very close this year again, as it is for many of you as well. Thanks you...each and everyone who has served, is serving or supporting those who serve.....moving on....

For those of you who don't think you can get your tea or coffee on a cruise ship, this is the Cafe al Bacio, which is on all Celebrity cruise ships. We did an Alaska on the Celebrity Millennium in September, and always love the coffee house feel here. They also have great Forte' tea!

Comfortable chairs, tables, a view of the promenade deck and scenery, and...

goodies!  Here is our tea tray for a tea for two one afternoon...

Chocolate Almond Biscotti with the tea. The venue is also used for acapella groupp performances during the day as well as other smaller acoustic groups like a guitarist, string quartet or musical duets whether vocal or instrmental...and they are very good! This is the acapella group North By Northwest from Seattle on the cruise...one trip there was a group from Sweden...wonderful English...much better than my Swedish, which is non existent!

So...there is tea aboard a ship...if you had any doubts!

So thanks for joining me....hope you are having a marvelous week and aren't too stormy...it's quite windy here at the moment, so hopefully I can get this published in case the power goes off! 

For more info on the Antique Staffordshire teacup trio at Antiques And Teacups, click on the photos.

Just a remember, Antiques And Teacups is having a sale at the moment...

NEAT NOVEMBER Ready, Set, Start your Holiday shopping with NEATNOV coupon, code for 15% Off orders over $25.00. Just enter NEATNOV in the coupon box on the order form . May Be reused. Expires 11/17/2014. May NOT be combined with other coupons. Use coupon code NEATNOV when ordering for 15% off when your order is over $25.00.  Hurry!  Ends 11/17/2014! Visit Antiques And Teacups

Here is the Linky for your tea related posts, but please be patient and wait for it to come up...it is SSLLLOOOOOOWWWWWW....

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