From Mystic Tea Room
start page with Patreon additions, 02/07/2023
This page hosts vintage Tea Room business cards and clipped newspaper and magazine advertisements. Some offer a free or paid reading with every meal and some merely present as public tea rooms. They are listed on one page, alphabetically first by state and then by tea room name. Some of these tea rooms may also appear in the following sets of images:
You can use the site's search function (at left, in the directory bar, to search for tea room (and tea cup) names.
USA Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Alabama Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Alaska Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Arizona Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Arkansas Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
California Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Colorado Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Connecticut Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Olympia Tea Room, 235 State Street, New London, Connecticut, business card. "The Store of Friendly Service" offered candy, soda, and luncheon, with "steaks and salads our specialty."
Delaware Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Florida Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Georgia Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Hawaii Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Idaho Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Illinois Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Ann Sauer offered the Scientific Interpretation of Tea Leaves at the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair, held in Chicago, Illinois. Oddly, she did so in the German-merican Building. Germany had just passed its first anti-Jewish laws and was beginning its rapid descent into fascist aggression, a world war, and crushing defeat, but there sat Ann Sauer, snuggled up with the Bund, presenting her "only original unique reading, which has made her famous."
Indiana Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
The Robinson Tea Shoppe Tourist Rooms, 2000 W. 4th Avenue , Gary, Indiana, business card with blotter back. This establishing meatured Southern Cooking and motorists were told to "Watch for the Copper Kettle."
Iowa Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Iowa City, Iowa; newspaper advertisement from the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Saturday, June 24, 1922. The Mad Hatters Tea Room served tea and restaurant food above an actual hat and clothing shop, with the "1/2" address. Cartoonish diners are dwarfed by an enormous electric fan, a modern novelty at the time, and the ad promoted "Appetizing Food -- Cool, Pleasant Surroundings," noting that, "Those who eat here are assured of tempting food, tastefully served in a cool, pleasant dining room." The ad ran on a Saturday, and asked readers, "Why not plan to eat your Sunday Dinner here tomorrow?" offering a "Special 85c Sunday Dinner from 12 to 2," while "on Week Days the hours of meal service are from 11 A. M. till 7 P. M." Indeed it seems only reasonable to "Plan to eat dinner tomorrow at the -- Mad Hatters Tea Room."
Kansas Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Kentucky Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Ko-Z Tea Room, Smiths Grove, Kentucky, newspaper ad, 1939; Mrs. Ree Greer, proprietor.
Louisiana Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Maine Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Maryland Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Massachusetts Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
The Wishing Cup Tea Room, Boston, Massachusetts, business card. Tea Leaf Readings 50 cents by Ross, formerly of the Gypsy Tea Shop, he also offered card readings.
The Original Tremont Tea Room, Boston, Massachusetts, business card. Tea Leaf Readings 75 cents.
Michigan Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
While not strictly a business card or magazine ad, this glass ashtray from the Devon Gables Tea Room in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, qualifies as a nice piece of tea room advertising ephemera.
Private-labeled sugar cube for the Devon Gables Tea Room in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1930s.
Minnesota Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Mississippi Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Missouri Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Egyptian Tea Room, Kansas City, Missouri, where Don Luis, "the Boy Who Sees Tomorrow," provides free readings.
Montana Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Nebraska Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Nevada Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
New Hampshire Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
The Gables Lunch and Tea Room, Pierce Highway, Routes 9 and 202, Hillsboro, New Hampshire; Nerine Gilbert, proprietor; rounded-corner business card.
New Jersey Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
New Mexico Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
New York Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Gypsy Tea Kettle, New York City, New York, business card. Prof. Punditjee offers a free palmistry reading with meal. The Gypsy Tea Kettle had three locations in New York at this time.
North Carolina Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
North Dakota Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Ohio Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Oklahoma Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Oregon Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Pennsylvania Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
A business card blotter advertising the Blue and Gray Tea Room, 441 7th Street, North, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. "The Home of Good Eats, Famous for Home Cooking" was open as early as 1936, according to local newspaper ads, and the proprietor was Miss Emma Eshleman. The name "Blue and Gray" refers to the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, at which the blue-uniformed Union troops fought and prevailed against the gray-uniformed Confederate troops. Many tourists from both the North and the South visit the battlefield, making the tea room's name appear open and friendly to all.
Rhode Island Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
South Carolina Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
South Dakota Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Tennessee Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Texas Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Utah Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Vermont Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
The Mars Sweets and Tea Room, 59 Church Street, Burlington Vermont. A confectionary-turned-tea-room, the versatile Mars was the place to go "for a bite or a meal ... special luncheon served ... soda fountain service."
The Teacup Tea Room and Cake Shop, 17 Center Street, Burlington, Vermont. The business card blotter for this up-to-date establishment offered a "telephone connection," the equivalent of 21st century wi-fi, and also promised "good things to eat."
Virginia Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Washington Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
West Virginia Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Wisconsin Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Wyoming Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Unknown Location, USA
Madame Evelyn, Scientific Numerologist and Tea-ologist, reads tea leaves at the Spanish Court Tea Room, location unknown, newspaper advertisement. Tea Leaf readings free with meal.
British Commonwealth Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Australia Business Cards and Advertisements
Canada Business Cards and Advertisements
The new Devon Tea Room, 1318 St. Catherine West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; A Schmid, proprietor; air conditioned and featuring delicious Swiss Cuisine. This mid-century modern hang-out, with its vinyl upholstered stools and formica table-tops was memorialized in 1959 with a full colour photographic chrome-coat business card.
Devon Tea Room, 1318 St. Catherine West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; A Schmid, proprietor; back of 1959 bsiness card; the rise of Brush Script, a font that made it big!.
Professor York offered free tea cup readings at the Hotel York Coffee Shop in Calgary, Alberta, Canada;
Calgary Herald newspaper ad, May 19th, 1934. Thanks to Dixie M. Ford for bringing Professor Usher to my attention. For more information about Professor George Usher, see the page on
Having Your Fortune Told At a Tea Room.
England Business Cards and Advertisements
The Ellikan Tea Rooms, 7 Crawford Street, W. 1, London, England; magazine advertisement. Mrs. Ellen Kreuger, proprietress offered All kinds of Swedish Bread, Cakes, and other specialties and served "Morning Coffee, Delicious Shopping Lunches, and dainty Teas." Her slogan was, "Meet your friends at Ellikans."
Fuller's Tea Rooms magazine advertisement, 1921. This chain of "Most Comfortable Tea Rooms" grew out of Fuller's Ltd., a company that provided in Sweets, Cakes, and Chocolates with "agents in all principal towns." At the time that this advertisement was published, the Fuller's outlets that featured tea room service numbered 28 in London, 5 in Liverpool, and 1 each in another 16 cities in England and Scotland, for a total of 49 locations.
The Jap Tea Rooms, 35, Northgate, Gloucester, England; A. M. Latter, proprietor; 1907 magazine advertisement. Like quite a few early 20th century tea rooms, this one began its existence as a confectionary or sweets shop which sold ices during the summer months and added sit-down tea service during the tea room craze. The window signage advertises Cadbury Chocolates, with a large display. The name "Jap," now considered offensive, derogatory, and disrespectful, was in 1907 little more than a shortened reference to Japan, the provenance of the type of tea being served, the other types being Chinese and Indian.
Norman Palace Tea Rooms, High Street, Winchester, England, magazine advertisement, 1913. This establishment offered Teas, Light Luncheons, and Home-made Cakes of all kinds, as well as Scones and Shortbread. For those so inclined, there was a Smoke Room attached.
Old English Tea Rooms and Tudor Cake Shop above the bookshop of W. H. Smith and Son, Ltd. South Street and Montague Street, Worthing, Sussex, England; magazine advertisement, 1913. "Modern Service in a Deightful Old English Setting at the Old English Tea Rooms of W.H. Smoth and Son. When in Worthing have Lunch or Tea in these delightful Tea Rooms, which are an authentic reproduction of Tudor domestic architecture and decoration, Popular tarriff. Home-made cakes a specialty."
The Saxon Bridge Luncheon and Tea Rooms, Polperro, Cornwall, England,was located near the Bus Terminus. The proprietress, D. Ede, offered modest prices, catered for parties, and specialized in morning coffee, hot and cold luncheons, Cornish cream teas, suppers, and Cornish cream ices." Cornish cream, also known as Devonshire cream and clotted cream, is a thick dairy product made by heating full-cream cow's milk with steam heat or in a water bath and placing it in shallow pans to slowly cool. It combines the velvety texture of crème Fraiche or Greak yoghurt with the fatty richness of butter or whipped cream.
Ireland Business Cards and Advertisements
The Suffrage Tea Room, Dublin, Ireland, advertisement.
Scotland Business Cards and Advertisements
Europe Tea Room Business Cards and Advertisements
Switzerland Business Cards and Advertisements
Kunzi Cafe Tea Room, Locarno, Switzerland, oversized linen business card, 1940s. Printed like a oversized linen-finish postcard, this is non-mailable, so it must be considered a very large business card.
Kunzi Cafe Tea Room, Locarno, Switzerland, oversized business card, back.
If the number of business cards grows too great for one page, they will be broken out into individual state lists, as with the Vintage Tea Room Postcards.
catherine yronwode
curator, historian, and docent
The Mystic Tea Room
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