Featured Porcelain Invalid(?) Cup Info Needed

I got 4 of these because they were thrown in with something I wanted at an auction.

I don't know much about porcelain so, I thought I'd ask for help here. I know someone will be able to help.

The saucers have a deep well which I remember being explained on British Antiques Roadshow as a cup and saucer for someone without a steady hand. What is the proper name for it though? And looking at the bottom marks, can you tell me who made it and possibly when? I don't think they're very old.

Thanks in advance!

 

Try using trembleuse as a descriptive term and the maker is Haviland.

https://www.havilandonline.com/backmark.htm

 

Thank you!

 

Funny spelling of Philadelphia I must say.

 

It's the French spelling.

 

However the rest is in English......kind of cute

 

Incorrect on the not old comment. That's an early Haviland mark dating to the late 1800s. I consider it a nice find!

 

Could they possibly come from the era (brief, TG!) when it was considered proper to drink from the saucer first?

Gorgeous color and pattern!!

 

No, they really were for unsteady hands.

 

JE Caldwell would have been the establishment where they were sold.
Made expressly for, so the pattern won't be common or have a name.

 

Maybe Philadelphie is the pattern name, since the rest, even H & Co., is in English, as SIS noted. I have an 'intention tremor' that gets worse the harder I try to keep my hands steady, so I really appreciate the idea of a cup & saucer I could hold while sipping tea in the parlor without slopping it.

 

I looked up trembleuse and I'm curious how one uses the cups and saucers. Some of the cups have 1 handle, some have 2 handles. Some saucers are extremely deep and some are less so, like the ones shown here. I guess you pick up the cup and wait for the shakes to stop and then drink? While the saucer is taking in what liquid sloshes over the cup? I just can't see how it helps much, except with two handles.

 

My DH has that too. His doc calls it the "senior shakes". At dinner the other night, he picked up a wine glass by the stem (Uh Oh!!) and it seemed like he was literally throwing the wine on our son. We laughed so hard. So it then got worse and wine went everywhere. It seems related to fine motor skills especially in the thumb. It probably wouldn't have happened if he'd picked up the wine glass by the bowl, but since he grasped the skinny little stem, well, wine went everywhere.

 

You could raise cup & saucer together using 2 hands until close to chin level, then, if your tremor was like mine, you wouldn't have to lift the cup far to take a sip & you could sort of keep the saucer underneath. It would also help if you were serving tea informally, handing it out individually.

This design might not solve all the problems, but would help.

 

They seem to keep changing the name on mine, but used to be called benign essential tremor, a neurological condition that is not indicative of any further neurological issue. It runs in families. I had an uncle whose hands shook so badly, he had to use a sippy cup at the table. It started when he was in his 30s. Mine is not as bad. Probably would have benefited him, & benefit me, to give up coffee, but at least some of you know how it is. A YouTube video of me trying to thread a needle would probably qualify as a suspense story.

 

It's a very nice cup and saucer and quite handy. I have a very slight tremor that pops up from time to time. The main drawback is when I need to hit a button to turn something on or off. I sometimes hit the button twice and end up turning the product on and then off again or vice versa. It's been a bit awkward since I now have a car that uses a ignition button instead of a key.
Don

 

This is a problem that the young techies are going to have to address: the increase in both gadgets that operate with just a light touch & people who have difficulty with the fine motor control of hands & fingers. Sensitivity of sensors is going to have to be adjustable. Have heard of an app for smart phones that can sort of detect when a double hit is intentional or not. More of that is needed.

 

There is also an issue with phone touchscreens activated by heat. I have some circulation issues in my fingers due to diabetes. I have to really press the screen hard sometimes to activate whatever I need. As these devices are developed with the young in mind I don't have much hope there will be any real change. I don't really mind - I just have to adjust.
Don

 

I don't have circulatory issues, but seem to have some problem with this too. Thank goodness I don't have to operate them with my toes - I'd never get it done!