When Thomas Jefferson’s mentor bequeathed him two silver cups that didn’t suit his taste, he transformed the gifts into sleek tumblers still used to commemorate milestones and toast loved ones today.
Read about the history of Jefferson cups, and find fresh ways to use these prized vessels when entertaining or decorating your home.
Jefferson commissioned Virginia silversmith John Letelier to melt down the gifts from his dear friend George Wythe and fashion drinkware with a heavy bottom and gilded interior. Four of the new cups bore Jefferson’s initials, and the others were engraved with the sentiment “G.W. to T.J.” as a tribute to Wythe. Although the silver tumbler wasn’t a novel concept for the time, Letelier and Jefferson enhanced the cup in ways that have resonated across decades. “They keep up with and are still part of a 21st-century aesthetic in a really interesting way—they are timeless,” says Emilie Johnson, associate curator at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Jefferson cup’s sturdy, rounded base and sleek sides combine for a perennial style that has made the vessel as iconic as the man who envisioned it. “These cups are a very important part of that tradition of coming together, of conversing, of talking, and of spending time together,” says Emilie. In the 1960s, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation partnered with The Stieff Company to manufacture reproductions of the tumbler in sterling silver and pewter, a more affordable and tarnish-resistant option.
Universities, companies, and fine gift retailers are drawn to the cup’s appeal as a collectible, especially when personalized. Their versatility makes them appropriate for entertaining and for functional décor, such as holding desktop essentials, makeup brushes, or candles anchored by floral foam. Akin to julep cups, they also make great containers for party snacks, dips, or nibbles on a charcuterie board.
