Virginia Tea Rooms
From Mystic Tea Room
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[[File:Ella-Cinders-Tea-Room-Ashland-VA-postcard-front-1930.jpg.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Ella Cinders Tea Room Ashland, Virginia, postcard front, circa 1930 - 1935. This tea room was named after the comic strip "Ella Cinders", a syndicated comic strip by the writer Bill Conselman and the artist Charles Plumb, which began its run in 1925. The name of the title character is a play on "Cinderella." Conselman was born in New York and lived in California and Plumb grew up in Missouri before moving to California -- so the existence of an Ella Cinders Tea Room in Ashland, Virginia, is unexpected. The proprietor of the establishment is W. N. Wickham, who is probably the man standing beside his wife in the tea room's doorway.]] | [[File:Ella-Cinders-Tea-Room-Ashland-VA-postcard-front-1930.jpg.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Ella Cinders Tea Room Ashland, Virginia, postcard front, circa 1930 - 1935. This tea room was named after the comic strip "Ella Cinders", a syndicated comic strip by the writer Bill Conselman and the artist Charles Plumb, which began its run in 1925. The name of the title character is a play on "Cinderella." Conselman was born in New York and lived in California and Plumb grew up in Missouri before moving to California -- so the existence of an Ella Cinders Tea Room in Ashland, Virginia, is unexpected. The proprietor of the establishment is W. N. Wickham, who is probably the man standing beside his wife in the tea room's doorway.]] | ||
- | [[File:Ella-Cinders-Tea-Room-Ashland-VA-colour-postcard-front.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Ella Cinders Tea Room Ashland, Virginia, linen finish postcard front, circa 1940- 1955. The text on the back reads, "Ella Cinders Tea Room, Ashland, Va -- on U.S. 1 Highway 16 miles N. of Richmond, Va. Recommended by AAA for past 19 years -- Delicious balanced meals served in an atmosphere of quiet refinement. Ultra modern Guest rooms, Private baths." The publisher is MWM Color-Litho of Aurora, Missouri. The sign over the entrance has been | + | [[File:Ella-Cinders-Tea-Room-Ashland-VA-colour-postcard-front.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Ella Cinders Tea Room Ashland, Virginia, linen finish postcard front, circa 1940- 1955. The text on the back reads, "Ella Cinders Tea Room, Ashland, Va -- on U.S. 1 Highway 16 miles N. of Richmond, Va. Recommended by AAA for past 19 years -- Delicious balanced meals served in an atmosphere of quiet refinement. Ultra modern Guest rooms, Private baths." The publisher is MWM Color-Litho of Aurora, Missouri. The sign over the entrance has been changed, and if you look carefully, you will see the cartoon head of Ella Cinders.]] |
[[File:Ella-Cinders.jpg|center|400px|thumb|The original plot of "Ella Cinders" centered on the hope and heartbreak of Hollywood during the silent film era. An "Ella Cinders" movie was made in 1927, starring Colleen Moore, and there were all manner of commercial spin-offs, including Big Little Books, comic book reprints, and product endorsements. Bill Conselman went on to write fifty Hollywood movie screenplays in the next decade, and his son Bill Conselman Jr. also worked in films. The family lived on a ranch in Soquel, California. Conselman died after a brief illness in 1940 at the age of 43. His estate continued the strip by hiring a series of uncredited ghost-writers and giving Plumb sole credit, although Plumb relied heavily on his art assistant Hardie Gramatky. When Plumb retired in the mid-1950s, Fred Fox became the artist and writer. Fox continued to write the strip but in 1960 he turned the art chores over to Roger Armstrong until the series ended in 1961.]] | [[File:Ella-Cinders.jpg|center|400px|thumb|The original plot of "Ella Cinders" centered on the hope and heartbreak of Hollywood during the silent film era. An "Ella Cinders" movie was made in 1927, starring Colleen Moore, and there were all manner of commercial spin-offs, including Big Little Books, comic book reprints, and product endorsements. Bill Conselman went on to write fifty Hollywood movie screenplays in the next decade, and his son Bill Conselman Jr. also worked in films. The family lived on a ranch in Soquel, California. Conselman died after a brief illness in 1940 at the age of 43. His estate continued the strip by hiring a series of uncredited ghost-writers and giving Plumb sole credit, although Plumb relied heavily on his art assistant Hardie Gramatky. When Plumb retired in the mid-1950s, Fred Fox became the artist and writer. Fox continued to write the strip but in 1960 he turned the art chores over to Roger Armstrong until the series ended in 1961.]] | ||
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[[File:Japanese-Tea-Room-Homestead-Hotel-Virginia-Hot-Springs-VA-postcard-front-1912.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Japanese Tea Room, Homestead Hotel, Virginia Hot Springs, Virginia, postcard front; divided back era. Note the Japanese paper lanterns and parasols, ornate rattan seating, a small potted palm, and gracefully arched wooden room dividers. The postage stamp on the card's back tells us that it was mailed June 28, 1912 to Mrs. Annie R. DeVoe, Hotel Aberdeen, No 19 W 32nd St., New York. The message reads: "Got your P/C. Am just beginning to gain weight and I am ? on up grade. Expect to remain here until end of next week. Had too much rain, now clear, and this place is beautiful. Your summer friend, (?.) A." E.F. Carpenter, Publisher, Va. Hot Springs. No. 3011. Made in Germany; divided back era.]] | [[File:Japanese-Tea-Room-Homestead-Hotel-Virginia-Hot-Springs-VA-postcard-front-1912.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Japanese Tea Room, Homestead Hotel, Virginia Hot Springs, Virginia, postcard front; divided back era. Note the Japanese paper lanterns and parasols, ornate rattan seating, a small potted palm, and gracefully arched wooden room dividers. The postage stamp on the card's back tells us that it was mailed June 28, 1912 to Mrs. Annie R. DeVoe, Hotel Aberdeen, No 19 W 32nd St., New York. The message reads: "Got your P/C. Am just beginning to gain weight and I am ? on up grade. Expect to remain here until end of next week. Had too much rain, now clear, and this place is beautiful. Your summer friend, (?.) A." E.F. Carpenter, Publisher, Va. Hot Springs. No. 3011. Made in Germany; divided back era.]] | ||
- | [[File:Japanese-Tea -Room-The-Homestead-Hotel-Hot-Springs-VA-postcard-front-1923-.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Japanese Room, Homestead Hotel, Virginia Hot Springs, Virginia, postcard front; divided back era. Despite the radical change in colouring -- either a case of redecorating or an artifact imposed by the printer, who was working from a black and white photo, this appears to be a 180 degree reverse shot of the above card, taken from an adjacent room. Note that the long South-facing window-wall with its gathered-up curtains | + | [[File:Japanese-Tea -Room-The-Homestead-Hotel-Hot-Springs-VA-postcard-front-1923-.jpg|center|600px|thumb|Japanese Room, Homestead Hotel, Virginia Hot Springs, Virginia, postcard front; divided back era. Despite the radical change in colouring -- either a case of redecorating or an artifact imposed by the printer, who was working from a black and white photo, this appears to be a 180 degree reverse shot of the above card, taken from an adjacent room. Note that the long South-facing window-wall with its gathered-up curtains runs along the left side in the card directly above and is on the right side here. Modern-style and less ornate rattan chairs are in use in this broader, lobby-like area, but the two rooms are unified by the Japanese lanterns and parasols that hang from the ceilings, the small potted palm, and the arched room dividers.]] |
== Westmoreland County == | == Westmoreland County == |
Latest revision as of 05:42, 16 June 2024
Virginia State Tea Room Gallery, in alphabetical order by name of city or town.
In this installment of "From the Land of Tea," we take a look at a web page that was funded by my Patreon supporters, who had access to it one full year before the public.
- Patreon Release Date: January 21st, 2023,
- Public Release Date: January 21st, 2024.
Please consider subscribing to my Patreon stream for as little as $2.00 per week:
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Support From the Land of Tea
All of the material you have access to here -- the fabulous tea cups, the instructive booklets, the nostalgic postcards, the boldly graphic matchbook covers, and all of the historical information researched and shared from the mind of the woman who is making it all happen -- can easily fit into one 8 x 10 foot room in an old Victorian farmhouse, but you would never see it without the investment of the time it takes to produce such a site and the caloric input such a site requires in the form of food for the writer, graphic designer, and database manager, as well as the US currency needed to pay for the computers, software applications, scanners, electricity, and internet connectivity that bring it out of that little room and into the world. So, as you can see, this site is the darling of many, and it is growing at a rapid rate ... but although it is "free," there also is a cost. Your financial support underwrites this cost.
Each new web page or sample pdf is circulated to Patrons as an unpublished galley proof or advance copy. After one year access for Patrons, each web page will be released to the public, while book pages will be available to the public as printed books, and copies will be sent to Patrons who subscribe at the upper two tiers.
Patrons have access to a Private Patreon sub-forum within the Lucky Mojo Forum, and will be accorded special Red Star Avatar badges at the Forum.
Virginia State Tea Room Gallery
The cards and photos are in alphabetical order by name of city or town.
Ashland
Culpepper
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Hot Springs
Westmoreland County
Thanks for stopping by -- and thanks to my dear husband, nagasiva yronwode, for photoshopping and cleaning up these images along with me and making our weekly announcement placard.
catherine yronwode
curator, historian, and docent
The Mystic Tea Room