Anthora
The Anthora is a design for a disposable paper cup for coffee that has become iconic of New York City daily life.
History[edit]
The cup was originally designed by Leslie Buck of the Sherri Cup Company in 1963,[1] to appeal to Greek-owned coffee shops in New York City, and was later much copied by other companies.[2] Sherri was later acquired by the Solo Cup Company,[1] which in turn was acquired by Dart Container in 2012.[3] The name is said to come from Buck's Eastern European-accented pronunciation of the word amphora.[1]
Sales of the cup reached 500 million in 1994 at its peak,[4] and fell to about 200 million cups annually by 2005.[1] At its peak, up to 15 million cups were used monthly.[2] One New York Times writer in 1995 called the Anthora "perhaps the most successful cup in history".[4] Solo halted production in 2006,[5] but continued to license the design.[6] By 2007, it was mentioned in passing in a New York Times television review as "one of those endangered artifacts".[7] Production restarted in 2015.[8]
Buck never received royalties from his design, but as a salesman he was well-remunerated for the product's success. When he retired from Sherri Cup Company in 1992, he was presented with 10,000 Anthoras printed with a testimonial inscription. After Buck's death in 2010, a New York Times writer described the motto on the cup as having "welcome intimations of tenderness, succor and humility".[1]
Design[edit]
The original Anthora depicts an image of an Ancient Greek amphora, a Greek key design on the top and bottom rim, and the words "WΣ ARΣ HAPPY TO SΣRVΣ YOU" in angular script intended to evoke ancient Greek epigraphy and using Σ to represent the letter E. The blue and white colors were inspired by the flag of Greece. The original capacity was 10 oz.; 8 ounce versions are also made.
There are also variant knock-offs; a popular one produced by Premier Cup portrays a discus-thrower;[2] others depict the Parthenon, a harpist, and so on, and have variant slogans such as "We Are Pleased To Serve You".[8][9]
Culture[edit]
The Anthora has been displayed in the Design Department of the Museum of Modern Art, in an exhibition at the Clark Art Institute on "The Persistence of Classicism",[10][2] and in an article on "A History of New York in 50 Objects".[11] It has been featured in various movies and television, where it is used to "evoke Gotham at a glance".[1][12] In 2003, Graham Hill of the design group ExceptionLab designed a ceramic replica reproducing the construction of the paper cup as a skeuomorph, converting it from disposable to permanent;[13] it is sold at the Museum of Modern Art shop.[14] In 2004, NBC commissioned a special edition for the 2004 Summer Olympics, including its peacock logo and the Olympic rings.[15]
External links[edit]
- Manufacturer's product page
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Fox, Margalit (April 29, 2010). "Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Gill, John Freeman (June 26, 2005). "Urban History to Go: Black, No Sugar". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Dart Container Closes on Acquisition of Solo Cup Company" (PDF) (Press release). Dart Container. May 4, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ a b McKinley, Jesse (October 15, 1995). "F.Y.I. – A Cup of Inspiration". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "The life, death and rebirth of "New York's Coffee Cup" Anthora". Hopes&Fears. January 6, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Geier, Stephanie (June 21, 2017). "NYC Fun Facts: The Story Behind the Famous NYC Greek Coffee Cups". Untapped New York. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Heffernan, Virginia (May 27, 2007). "To Sleep, Nay, Perchance to Stay Wide Awake". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b LaMarche, Una. "How to start a panic over coffee cups". The Outline. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ Popik, Barry. "Barry Popik". www.barrypopik.com. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ Puşcaşiu, Voica (February 15, 2015). "Design, It's Not What It Looks Like!" (PDF). International Review of Social Research. 5 (2): 117. doi:10.1515/irsr-2015-0010.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (September 2, 2012). "A History of New York in 50 Objects". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ Lokker, Brian (June 18, 2020). "New York's Iconic Anthora Coffee Cup on TV". Coffee Crossroads. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "The World's Most Famous Paper Cup Replicated in CERAMIC". ExceptionLab. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "New York Coffee Cup". MoMA Design Store. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ Martinez, Jose (July 8, 2004). "Playing Games with a cup we love". New York Daily News. p. 2. Retrieved December 19, 2022.