Name/Title
Cup platesEntry/Object ID
I2018.004.002.001-101Description
101 cut glass saucers with various decorationsContext
About the cup plates:
"Many early cups were handleless, with deep saucers. The hot liquid was poured into the saucer and sipped from it. A cup plate, usually in a matching pattern, was created to act as a coaster to hold the cup while the saucer was used.
The earliest cup plates were decorated, hand-painted, and transfer earthenware, made in England's Staffordshire district in the early 1800s. However, by the mid-1830s and through the 1840s, glass cup plates gained favor.
The Boston and Sandwich Glass Company was one of the first American glass manufacturers to make glass cup plates. Glass makers in New England and the Midwest, such as the Wheeling Flint Glass Works, produced them in large numbers.
When sipping from the saucer became a social faux pas in Europe, European manufacturers such as Baccarat and Val St. Lambert continued making glass cup plates for export to America."
Source: https://www.worthpoint.com/dictionary/p/glass/glass-form/cup-plates-glass
About the donor:
Josephine A. Meneely
New York and Ferrisburgh
1867-1948
Josephine A. Meneely grew up on a farm in Troy, New York, and married William R. Meneely, also of Troy, in 1888. William came from a family of bell makers and became president of the company his father, Clinton, had founded in competition with two brothers.
Josephine and William lived comfortably and were listed as having a live-in maid in several census documents. They sailed to Europe several times and eventually had a residence in Ferrisburgh as well as in Manhattan. They had no children.
In 1951 after both Josephine and William had died, her collections of 51 glass paperweights and 101cup plates were donated to the Bixby Memorial Free Library.Collection
Josephine A. Meneely CollectionCataloged By
Patricia ReidAcquisition
Source (if not Accessioned)
Josephine A. MenellyNotes
Acquisition Method: Gift
Current Status: Gift
Location of Gift Paperwork: a framed photo of Josephine A. Menelly idenitifies her as "donor of cup plate and paper-weight collections."
Contact Information: Josephine A. MenellyMade/Created
Time Period
early to mid 19th centuryOther Names and Numbers
Other Number
Photo Number: I2018.004.002.001-078_plan; I2018.004.002.001-078_partialdetail1; I2018.004.002.001-078_partialdetail2; I2018.004.002.079-101_planNotes
Digital Photo Location: New Photos > 2019-03-15Dimensions
Dimension Description
roughly 3" in diameterLocation
* Untyped Location
In one box under the display cases on the south wall of Museum RoomCondition
Overall Condition
GoodCondition Detail
objects are stable, but are stored wrapped in newspaper which is not ideal as ink flakes easily. A few saucers have cracked edges. Some of split completely and reattached with tape or glue (these are mostly in the second group, numbered 79-101). The clear glass plates and one blue plate were numbered at time of inventory. PNR added number tags for additional 23 plates, most of which feature images or other colors.Date Examined
2019Examined By
Reid, PatriciaCreated By
Amber LayCreate Date
November 3, 2022Updated By
Patricia ReidUpdate Date
March 30, 2024