Alphabet Cup With Gold Painted Alphabet Letters - Children's mug - Antique

Cute Little Mug With the Letters ABCDEF on one side and GHIJKL on the other side. The letters are embossed on the surface of the porcelain and then painted with 14K gold luster paint. This was a cup presented to the parents of a new baby, or given to a child for a first birthday. There were no Tommy Tippy cups, or plastic cups in the late 1890s when this cup appeared. Mothers had to hold a little china cup to the lips of their baby and teach them to drink. This cup is decorated with the alphabet; thus was most likely gifted to a male child, as only little boys were taught reading and writing skills, little girls were given the more flowery patterns with tiny baby animals. The cup would make a great gift for a tiny cup collector or a kindergarten teacher. It is in perfect condition and is at least 100 years old.