Elvira's Café Tea Towel

This cotton twill tea towel featuring ‘Elvira’s Café’ by Beryl Cook has been made exclusively for House of Voltaire to coincide with Studio Voltaire’s major exhibition Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland, bringing together the work of these two cultural icons for the very first time. Plymouth, where Cook lived and worked for 40 years, was a key subject throughout her life. In the 20th Century, Plymouth’s economy and culture was shaped by the docks, naval base and seamen who passed through the city. The city’s working-class and military history forms a subtext for Cook’s paintings of local establishments. Elvira’s Cafe depicts the patrons of the eponymous cafe on the Admirals Hard, near the Plymouth docks. Elvira’s was, at this point, run by Cook’s son and daughter-in-law, seen here glancing archly at the marine in the centre of the image. 'This is a picture of my son and daughter-in-law’s café, in which they serve sausage sandwiches, amongst other things. It was the first time I had heard of these tasty items and I questioned Teresa closely about how they were assembled and how many sausages were used. Here you see one about to be tackled by the lady in front, with Teresa enjoying the view she had of one of the many handsome marines who frequent the café, for they are stationed in barracks just around the corner. In the summer they sometimes arrive in sporting gear, like this vest and tiny shorts. Dogs go in with their owners as well and they often get little treats from the leftovers.'