A Cup of Tea: Pictures from
Doll Life
by Elizabeth S. Tucker
1892 (date on cover), Worthington Co.,
New York
This book is hardbound,
measures about 8" x 11", and consists of 12 single-sided pages, half with
color pictures and half sepia. The front cover shows the frontispiece image,
with the title superimposed; the back cover is the final color image, a
cup of tea, with a gold border added.
The book seems to be an
excuse to illustrate three types of Japanese doll (assuming that the pigtail
doll is supposed to be Japanese too), peg wooden dolls, and the blonde
dolly type. The color images tell one story, while the sepia pictures tell
separate stories.
The stories present the
Japanese boy doll as a male to be tamed and/or competed for by the girl
dolls. Note the two birds, the black and the pastel, quarrelling and then
billing to reflect the dolls' emotions. On the other hand, while Japanese
dolls of both sexes are usually supposed to be very polite, these boy dolls
have bad manners (as does the dolly who pulls the little boy's pigtail).
The story was certainly influenced by Mrs. Shute's smaller picture
book, The Jappie Chappie and How He Loved a Dollie, which tells
a similarly romantic story with two similar dolls as main characters.
For another, possibly earlier, doll booklet by Tucker, see A Truly Story of My Dolls.
The sepia images below are full size but cropped to show only the illustrated part of the page, whiile the color images show the whole 11" page but are reduced in size by about 20".
| Color Images | Sepia Images |
| 1.
Frontispiece:
peg doll takes a photo of Japanese and blonde doll (as above):
The doll-folk are "at home" you see And beg you'll share a cup of tea! |
|
| 2. Title Page (as above) | |
| 3.
Miss Doll Rosabelle de Sarty
Gave a tete-a-tete tea party For a visitor from far-away Japan. |
|
| 4.The Introduction | |
| 5.
But his manners--like the table
Proved exceedingly unstable Indeed he was a Very Rude young man! |
|
| 6. Desertion! (sequel to 4) | |
| 7.
Rosabella's heart was saddened
And her temper greatly maddened Which made him think he's been a Horrid boy! |
|
| 8. Just fun for one | |
| 9.
But by dint of much beguiling
And the most persistent smiling He was pardoned--and they made it up with Joy! |
|
| 10. Revenge! (sequel to 8) | |
| 11.
And now our Cup is finished,
Fold up your Napkin so. A Lesson in Politeness To other Dolls t'will show. |
|
| 12. The End. |