Table-setting

Table-setting, or tablescaping, is an activity involving the setting of sometimes elaborate dining tables in artful, decorative or themed ways for social events, and in a variety of categories for competitions and exhibitions.

[4] Diners supplied their own knife and spoon and food was often eaten off a slice of bread set directly on the table.

[5] By the late 1600s forks were in common use; this utensil meant fewer drips and greasy fingers to wipe, which made practical the use of decorative tablecloths and napkins.

[4] Flatware, dishes, glassware, and supplementary pieces kept being introduced with the trend peaking in the Victorian Era (1837–1901), with about twenty expensive items per setting "contributed to the table's shiny new look".

[4] In the late 1800s middle class families in Europe and America emulated the wealthy but relied on fresh flowers as centerpieces.

[4] Tablescaping also refers to a category of general room decor which includes intentional design for horizontal surfaces such as consoles, coffee tables, mantles, bookshelves, dressers, or other surfaces and which is more or less a permanent installment, typically changing only seasonally or when the room decor changes.

Each entry is judged on a 100-point scale, with 25 points each for suitability for occasion & theme; decorativeness & eye-appeal; creativity & originality; and correctness & menu.

A grand table at the Meissen porcelain museum set for formal dining shows many elements; the food items are replicas, in tablescaping competitions perishable items are generally not allowed.
Fanny Brate 's 1901 A Day of Celebration shows two girls decorating a table; the background is a painting of an undecorated medieval table surround by waiting diners.
A lavish formal dining setting at the Nordic Museum shows off wealth with crystal glassware and silver tabletop items including a centerpiece with flowers.
Baby-shower themed tablesetting at a Sydney exhibition in 1941
A " Missing Man " setting at a military dining event at Camp Spann in Afghanistan (25 November 2011) is set as a reminder that troops are still missing in action (MIA), and prisoners of war (PWA).