White House china

Some of the older china services are used for small private dinners in the President's Dining Room on the Second Floor.

The eagle carried a red, white, and blue banner reading "E Pluribus Unum", the national motto.

Five vignettes inside the dark red border represent agriculture, strength, commerce, science, and arts.

Though Congress soon passed a law mandating all furniture for the White House be made in America, when it came to manufacturing china, it would take the country nearly another one hundred years to compete with the fine works produced in England and France.

The service included a plain white design and gold trim, making it popular with later administrations.

Mary Todd Lincoln felt that it was important to maintain a proper appearance in the White House so that foreigners would perceive America as strong and her husband's administration as in control.

Mrs. Lincoln personally selected china with a purple-red border called "Solferino", later known as the "Royal Purple" set, in 1861 from E. V. Haughwout and Company in New York City.

While in the White House conservatory with Mrs. Hayes, Davis suggested that the china include the flora and fauna of North America as decoration.

An artist herself, the first lady placed the Coat of Arms of the United States in the center of the plates, and designed a goldenrod and corn motif etched in gold around a wide band of blue.

[1] An extensive White House renovation was conducted in the early 1900s, during which the State Dining Room was enlarged to seat over 100 guests.

Mrs. Roosevelt expanded upon Mrs. Harrison's efforts to gather china from previous administrations and displayed them in a specially made cabinet on the White House ground floor.

[1] The Wilsons entered the White House in 1913, and at the time, the most recently ordered china was from the Theodore Roosevelt presidency, over ten years before.

[2] First Lady Edith Wilson preferred ordering American-made china, and chose Lenox after viewing a sample in a Washington, D.C., store.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt promoted new china during difficult economic times to keep American workers employed.

The pattern included a border of 48 gold stars – one for every state – and the presidential seal in enamel colors on an ivory body.

Lenox worked overtime so that the 1,722 pieces of china would be completed in time for an important state dinner in January 1935.

The plates were white, though the rims were covered with pure gold medallions, requiring eight separate kiln firings.

The flowers were hand painted on each plate, delaying the completion of the china until the summer of 1972, four years into the Nixon administration.

The Reagans wanted a design that would display a strong presence for the subtly colored State Dining Room, now painted white.

Nancy Reagan worked closely with Lenox designers to create a pattern with bands in a striking scarlet red, which was her favorite color.

The pattern was bordered on each side with etched gold, which created a sparkling contrast with the soft ivory china.

First Lady Laura Bush chose a soft green pattern due to its versatility and ability to coordinate with flowers.

Each dinner plate has a simple, narrow band of gold on the edge and a broad, undecorated bas-relief pinwheels and fronds on the rim.

The bas-relief design was taken from an Empire style china service purchased by then-Secretary of State James Madison in 1806.

[9] Melania Trump worked on a china design, but the project was sidelined due to cost and time constraints.