Category:Tea Leaf Art

From Mystic Tea Room

"Dregs in th Cup" depicts a fortune teller giving good news to a shy young woman and her protective suitor; perhaps a marriage is foretold

The image of a female fortune teller reading tea leaves has, since the 19th century, been a subject of gallery art, popular commercial art, and cartooning.

• Tea Leaf Reading in Art

One prominent 19th and 20th century painter who produced many variations on this theme was Harry Roseland. If you like art, you may enjoy my essay on Roseland's art and the Cuban spirit known as La Madama -- it covers several types of African American divination in addition to cup reading.

• Harry Roseland, The Black Fortune Teller, Mammy, and La Madama

Even tea leaf symbols have been the subject of artwork.

• Tea Leaf Symbols in Art

While you're here, take a look at some of the vintage tea room postcards, tea room match book covers, tea room menus, and related tea room ephemera we have come across in our own research on the subject of fortune telling by tea cups.

• Tea Room Postcards

Tea company booklets are another fertile field of art related to tasseomancy.

• Tea Company Booklets

• And, finally, we have collected a gallery of photographs and art that idolize and objectify the female tea pluckers of Ceylon.

• The Ceylonese Tea-Plucker in Art