Cup Plates

Cup plates are coasters for tea cups that came into common use during the first half of the 19th century in the United States.They were used to protect furniture from marks left by tea cups by providing a coaster for the cup. The tea was often too hot and was poured into a saucer to cool before consumption. The tea would have been drunk from the saucer (hence the old phrase "to take a dish of tea"). In order to drink the tea from the saucer two hands were required, which made it necessary to put down the cup. Cup plates provided a spot to put the cup, and were scattered about the parlor during tea parties.