Yes, that is correct. The little pitchers were used in restaurants and hotels for a single serving of cream. However, the ones with the "bowls" for underplates (untersetzer) had a very particular application.
They were used on air ships. So far, I've lost three auctions trying to obtain one engraved with the name of the zeppelin it was used on. The aerophiles collect them, so there's a lot of competition for them. That wasn't their only use, of course, but there's something romantic about the era of air ship travel that gives them an appeal, even to me.