1986 - Images Cups (porcelain, stoneware, Suprema)

(8 oz)  Available Patterns:  Blue Floral, Calico Rose, Lace Bouquet, Sandscape, Normandy, Peach Garland, Queen's Lace, Rose Trellis, Garden Row, Casey's Flower, Cranberry Blossom, Blossoms in Lace, Zenith, Hibiscus, Country Hearth, Optic, Misty White, Sentimental Ribbons, and dozens more, totalling 37 at least. 

Porcelain: Garden Row.  Suprema: Normandy, Intrigue, Peach Garland. 

When the Natural Images product line was introduced in 1985, each of the new beige patterns came with straight-sided stoneware mugs.  The Images cup style would not be seen until 1986, when the white-bodied Design Images line was introduced.  The white patterns came with porcelain cups, and soon the beige patterns would include cups in the Images style too, but made of stoneware.  It is determined that the white cups were initially porcelain, not stoneware, since they have a slight translucency and a glossy finish.  They are quite different than modern white stoneware cups.

Beige Stoneware: Cranberry Blossom, Needlepoint.  Stoneware is thicker and more opaque than porcelain.

Both types were manufactured overseas, and many came with a 'Made in Japan' sticker on the bottom, despite the Corning name and address also stamped there.  It seems that the white Images cups made the transition to Suprema in 1988, but beige Suprema would not be available until 1991.

Design Images and Natural Images were combined to form a single Images line around 1993, but this seems to have survived only another year or two, and the Images cup disappeared mid 1990s.  At least four patterns (Misty White, Optic, Peach Garland, Zenith) would outlive the product line, and be offered with the narrow tapered Occasions cup style instead.

Compared to Suprema cups, the porcelain and stoneware versions have a slightly different shape, with a thicker and chunkier handle.  These cups are marked in grey ink with 'Corning ... Corning N.Y. USA ... Microwave Safe (or Microwavable)'.  The exact wording isn't terribly important, the main idea is that both types are stamped with ink rather than embossed lettering. 

Conversely Suprema always has an embossed backstamp, and Suprema Images cups generally say 'Corning ... USA ... Microwave OK'.
 

There are no creamers or sugar bowls which correspond with this cup style.

Related Articles:

Natural Images (1985)
Design Images (1986)