Author Katherine Mansfield's short story "A Cup of Tea" was first published in May 1922 as a part of pulp British magazine. The short story, which tells the story of a young woman named Rosemary Fell, was based on the author's own life. Rosemary Fell is a wealthy young woman who lives in London's Mayfair district, where she goes about her life. One day, she interacts with another young woman named Miss Smith, who is struggling to afford tea and food more generally. Rosemary invites Miss Smith to her house. There, she interacts with Rosemary and her husband, Philip. These conversations invite discussion about the meaning of poverty, having a poverty mindset, the nature of beauty, and what kindness truly entails. Perhaps most importantly though, it is a short story about feminism, which Rosemary and Miss Smith considers in a seemingly oppressive time.
Although it isn't widely-known by the general public, "A Cup of Tea" re-entered the public conscious once again after it was read live on the BBC in 2019. The story was likewise included in one of Mansfield's short story collections, The Doves' Nest.
