White House and Presidential China
History of White House China
Up until 1918 all official White house China was made
abroad as the quality of domestic china was not thought to be adequate.
Lenox became the first American china to be used in the White House in 1918.
since then four more presidents have commissioned Lenox to issue new state
services, making them the most used domestic provider of White House China.
White House China has long been one of the most sought after item of political
memorabilia.
For most of the 19th century, older White House china was routinely given away
or auctioned off. As new services were purchased, national themes were
increasingly used.
Theodore Roosevelt's wife, Edith, stopped the selling or giving away of White
House china, ordering damaged pieces to be shattered and thrown in the Potomac
River. This further diminished the availability of White house China.
White House china was purchased with government money through the 1960s. Since
then, the cost has been borne by private donations, including the "Nancy Reagan
red" state china.
The Reagan china drew criticism for extravagance, even though no public money
was used to buy it. First lady Mary Lincoln also was scolded in the press for
ordering new, purple-bordered china at the opening of the Civil War
Example of White House China
The Monroe China Service
The Monroe porcelain china was made in France by P. L. Dafoty c. 1817.
The Monroe Service
The Lincoln China Service
As First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln was responsible for entertaining visiting dignitaries in an appropriately formal manner at the White House. But there was a problem. When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1861, the Executive Mansion did not have even one complete set of dishes. With $20,000 appropriated by Congress for generally refurbishing the President's House, Mrs. Lincoln travelled to New York City to put things right.
On May 16, 1861, she visited the firm of E.V. Haughwout and Co. "Importers and
Decorators of French China." Haughwout's had designed dinnerware for the
Executive Mansion during the administration of President Franklin Pierce
(1853-1857) - a splendid dinner service with a seal of the United States
emblazoned on each piece. Although the commission was never approved,
Haughwout's highlighted the china at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York
in 1853. When they showed the pattern to Mrs. Lincoln, she was thrilled. She
approved it with one change: instead of the proposed blue border, she asked for
a strong magenta color called "solferino."
The Lincoln Service
The Hayes China Service
One of the most flamboyant services was introduced by first lady Lucy Hayes in
the late 1870s. It featured bold designs with native American animals, fish and
plants, including a large, curled-edge platter with a strutting wild turkey. It
was made in France by Haviland & Co.
Serving Plater from the Hayes Service
The Wilson China Service
When President Woodrow Wilson, and his wife, Edith, arrived at the White House
in 1913, the "newest" china was already 10 years old, having been ordered by
Theodore Roosevelt from an English pottery. Even though pieces had been replaced
through the years, a complete new service was needed by 1918.
Mrs. Wilson, like first ladies before her, hoped to purchase an American china.
Upon visiting Dulin & Martin Co. a fashionable shop in Washington, D.C. to
view a display of Lenox china, she was so impressed that she asked the store to
obtain designs from the pottery.
The pattern developed by Lenox's chief designer, Frank Holmes, was as restrained
and dignified as the Wilsons themselves. It features a deep ivory border
surrounding a brighter ivory body and two bands of matte gold encrusted with
stars, stripes, and other motifs. Each of the 1,700 pieces also bears the
presidential seal in raised gold.
The service was delivered to the White House between August and November 1918.
After the first shipment, Mrs. Wilson brought chocolates to the Trenton factory
employees to convey the family's appreciation. Wrote one New York newspaper,
"The proud day has arrived when the White House dining service was designed by
an American artist, made at an American pottery ... and decorated by American
workmen."
The Wilson Service
The Roosevelt China
Service
A state china service for 120, decorated with an inner band of gilt roses and
plumes from the Roosevelt family coat of arms, was chosen by the first lady in
1934.The Franklin D. Roosevelt china was made in Trenton New Jersey by Lenox,
Inc. in 193 4.
The Roosevelt Service
The Truman China Service
President Harry Truman and his wife, Bess, presided over a major renovation of
the White House between 1948 and 1952. The State Dining Room, which had been
paneled in oak in the early 20th century, was painted a soft celadon green, and
the Trumans wanted a new service to coordinate with the d้cor.
Working with the New York department store B. Altman and Company, which was
managing the interior decoration, the Trumans ordered 1,572 pieces of Lenox
china in 1951. The pattern includes a border of celadon green flanked by an
etched gold band and a 24 karat gold rim on an ivory body.
Perhaps the most significant feature of the Truman service is its raised gold
presidential seal, which is surrounded by 48 gold stars. Concerned about the
varying design of the insignia over the years, the president issued an executive
order in 1945 to standardize the seal. The china reflects that order, with the
head of the eagle turned toward the olive branch of peace clutched in its left
talons, instead of toward the arrows of war at the right.
The service debuted on April 3, 1952, at a luncheon for the Dutch royal family.
The Trumans, who had lived in the nearby Blair House during the renovation, had
moved back to the White House just a week before.
The Truman Service
The Johnson China Service
The Johnson china service was made in New Castle, Pennsylvania, by Castleton
China, Inc. in1968.
The Johnson Service
The Reagan China Service
Thirty years after the Trumans had ordered their china, state dinners became so
large that none of the White House china could accommodate the number of guests.
President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, turned to Lenox in 1981 to provide
4,370 pieces, enough placesettings of 19 pieces for 220 people nearly twice as
many as other recent services.
The first family was accustomed to formal entertaining and chose a pattern to
reflect their tastes. Also, in the intervening years since the White House
renovation of the early 1950s, the State Dining Room had been painted white, so
the Reagans wanted a china with a strong presence for the large, subtly colored
room.
Mrs. Reagan worked closely with Lenox designers to develop a pattern with bands
in a striking scarlet her favorite color. The bands vary in width depending on
the scale of the piece and are framed on each side with etched gold, creating a
sparkling contrast with the soft ivory china. The presidential seal, in raised
gold, partially overlays the red border. On certain pieces, such as the service
and dessert plates, fine gold crosshatching overlays the red a decorative
technique that required extensive special handling and nine separate firings in
the kilns.
The Reagan Service
The Clinton China Service
The Clinton service is remarkable not only for its revolutionary design but also
for its significance to the history of the American presidency
The Clinton administration coincided with the bicentennial of the White House as
home to America's first families, a role it had played since John Adams, the
second president, took up residence there on November 1, 1800. To commemorate
this event, and also replenish the stock of official state china for the first
time in nearly two decades, President William Clinton and his wife, Hillary,
commissioned Lenox to create 300 12-piece placesettings in 2000.
In a dramatic departure from previous White House services, the Clinton china
features a border of pale creamy yellow, instead of a bright primary color, and
images of the White House facades, in place of the customary presidential seal.
Each piece in the placesetting is decorated with a different pattern, the motifs
derived from outstanding architectural elements found in the State Dining Room,
East Room, and Diplomatic Reception Room.
Fittingly, the china was used for the first time at a dinner attended by former
Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George Bush, their wives, and Lady
Bird Johnson, former first lady.
The Clinton Service
Click on the Photo of the President Below to go to his page.
