Victorian masculinity is great on the perfectly groomed beard. From the 1820s to the early 1900s, it was the peak of facial hair etiquette, involving numerous manuals and beauty products.

Drinking tea was as important as trimming a beard at the time, and it was deeply ingrained in the lives of British people. Of course, hot tea can be dangerous for thickly waxed beards, it will melt and drop its horns from the original proud habitat.

A reminder of the Victorian beard cup, this is a very real and popular invention. Someone recently learned something on Reddit:

Victorian moustache cup, 1837-1901, invented by British potter Harvey Adams (lostinhistorypics), from interestasfuck

It is generally believed that the Victorian beard cup was invented by the potter Harvey Adams. According to Atlas Obscura, he created it in the 1870s, but the BBC entry claims that it was created in 1860. The Rosenberg Library Museum in Galveston, Texas claims that they were invented in 1830.

Illustrator and writer Llewellyn Frederick William Jewitt (Llewellyn Frederick William Jewitt) in 1878 "The Art of Ceramics in Great Britain: From Prehistoric Times to the Present: The History of Ancient and Modern Pottery and Porcelain Works of the Kingdom : And the works of each of their classes", saying that this invention appeared around the 1860s. According to the second volume of "British Ceramic Art", the cup is part of a series of works that began in 1862.

He wrote about the work of Harvey Adams & Co.:

In the refreshment and breakfast service, this company has introduced many novel but at the same time pure and beautiful designs. They have also been praised for being the first to manufacture and launch the "Mustache Cup"-this invention has become such a popular invention. Many other companies adopt it.

According to the travel website of Stoke-on-Trent, England, where Adams is located, he worked as a potter from 1860 to 1895 and worked in his own bank from 1869 to 1885. He is "a local councillor, a radical unconventional man, an innovator, and the inventor of the "mustache cup". It has a ledge that allows Victorian gentlemen to keep their beards dry while drinking tea."

According to Atlas Obscura, this cup is protected by a "secret shelf, placed inside the cup, shaped like a butterfly, with a hole to drink", which is basically a straw cup. This cup was first popular in the UK and Europe, and then sold in major department stores such as Sears and Macy's in the United States. They also come in various shapes and sizes.

According to the Wellington County Museum and Archives in Canada, beards are a "symbol of masculinity" and men are proud to maintain their strong facial hair. They often carry a small comb, add a little wax, and even dye their beards. This is where the cup comes in handy:

However, during the afternoon tea, the heat of the tea will cause the wax to melt and the dye to lose, which creates a very embarrassing moment, not to mention the shaggy beard now.

The mustache cup solved this problem and became popular between 1860 and 1916 and became an important part of proper household tea sets. Most porcelain patterns have them, they can even be customized with the owner's name or initials, and they are usually equipped with matching plates. Unfortunately, however, during the First World War, when it was difficult for men to maintain these grooming habits in the trenches, the mustache and the cup fell out of favor. Facial hair also makes it difficult to seal the gas mask tightly on the face, which is extremely dangerous because chemical weapons are a major part of warfare.

Antiques or replicas of the mustache cup can still be found online.

"World History-Objects: Three Memorial Mustache Teacups." BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/eTxHV3A7SU-ijfb7V5kRiQ. Visited on November 15, 2021.

The Victorian Potter Story: Javier Adams and the Mustache Cup-Visit Stoke City. https://www.visitstoke.co.uk/whats-on/a-victorian-potters-tale-harvey-adams-and-the-mustache-cup-p1089681. Accessed on November 15, 2021.

Frost, Natasha. "Review the beard cups that keep the tea drinkers' beards dry." Atlas Obscura, May 31, 2017, http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/mustache-cups. Visited on November 15, 2021.

Juitt, Leverin Frederick William. British ceramic art from prehistoric times to the present: the history of ancient and modern pottery and porcelain works as the kingdom: the products of its various classes. Virtue and Company, Limited, 1878. Austrian National Library. Visited on November 15, 2021.

"The Mustache Cup of the Nineteenth Century." Rosenberg Library Museum. https://www.rosenberg-library-museum.org/treasures/nineteenth-Century-mustache-cups. Visited on November 15, 2021.

"Mustache and its cup-a museum." June 3, 2020, https://www.wellington.ca/en/discover/mus-moustachecup.aspx. Visited on November 15, 2021.

"Think of Me" Cream Victorian Beard Cup." Poshmark, https://poshmark.com/listing/Think-of-MeCream-Victorian-Mustache-Cup-618a415ce131640a1550d420. Accessed November 15, 2021.

"Victorian | History, Society and Culture." Great Britain. https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era. Visited on November 15, 2021.

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