As the official dinnerware of the President of the United States, the state china used in the White House is the one that honored guests and dignitaries from around the world will see when state dinners are held there. For that reason the state china pattern must reflect the power and prestige of the office. Over the years the different china patterns have changed to suit each era and each President (and First Lady). Here are some of the most beautiful china patterns of the White House over the years and a little of the history behind some of these sets.
Choosing The Patterns
As you might imagine most of the sets showcase quite restrained patterns with elegant details instead of busy designs. However some designs do lean away from Federal and into florals. And, all of them have expensive elements like gilt or scalloped edges and custom seals added.
It might not seem like a big decision to make when so many other world events are transpiring, but for presidents in recent years the review and unveiling of the new china has become a ceremony of state enjoyed by the press.
About every 10 years or so a new set is chosen so only some presidents get to choose a new pattern. Each new set that is ordered must accommodate hundreds and includes formal dinnerware pieces like tureens, compote dishes, and charger plates – pieces we might not even use at home. These pieces can differ in order to give contrast to the table settings and so if you see what look like different plates at one white House table setting this can be why. Most state dinners also mix and match pieces as needed, so common threads like gilt edging and the American eagle unite these different porcelain sets.
Seen above is Woodrow Wilson’s state china from 1918, bordered in gold and the plates with navy trim. It was made by Lennox in New Jersey. The Reagan state china was a reproduction of this pattern rendered in red instead of blue.
The sets are often designed with the help of designers and with input or direction from the POTUS and/or the First Lady.
Early White House China
Though George Washington was our first president and planned and oversaw the construction of the first White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. it was not completed soon enough for him to ever live there. A fire in 1814 set by the British destroyed the first Presidential Mansion and so it was rebuilt.
The first set of official White House state china was created for James Monroe and was made in France in 1817. It featured an eagle at the center and a border of maroon and gilt featuring seals that represented agriculture, the arts, commerce, the sciences, and strength.
White House China as Mementos
Way back in 1797 a bill made it possible for the POTUS to use public funds to furnish the Executive Mansion and also to sell off White House goods that were no longer useable, eventually creating a market for secondhand White House china.
By the 1850s this china was a sought after memento of the presidency that was sold at clamorous public auctions. Naturally these pieces often became family heirlooms. One of the most sought-after designs was the one used by President Abraham Lincoln, with the design chosen by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and made by Haviland & Co. in France. Many reproductions were made over the years, including the one below used at the inaugural dinner for President Obama.
Owing to the nature of state dinners and the sheer number of pieces needed many of the different services are used together with plates from various eras combined on one table. Likewise many examples of the White House china are displayed side-by-side in the White House China Room.
State China in the Modern Era
Some presidents chose multiple patterns. In the case of Lyndon B. Johnson there was a floral and gilt pattern chosen for state dinners that featured different state flowers on the pieces. This set was purchased privately with donated funds through the White House Historical Association and was produced by Tiffany following the First Lady’s theme of beautification of the US. Subsequent state china sets have also received funding this way.
For President Johnson there was another, simpler pattern chosen for use in the Oval Office and on Air Force One made by the Californian company Franciscan. This second set was not only less decorated, it contained fewer pieces. It was used into George H. Bush’s term as POTUS.
President George W. Bush ordered many new items for the White House, but a good number of the pieces, including the state china, were not delivered until close to the end of his presidency. The china was mainly designed by First Lady Laura Bush and Anne Weatherly. They referenced the Madison china, as well as the Reagan set, and the set from LBJ and Ladybird Johnson to come up with designs that would coordinate and play off of each of those sets. This china was made by Pickard in the US, but the gilt decoration was done in Hungary.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama chose pieces in various patterns, a white embossed pattern as well as a teal blue color called Kailua Blue in honor of his home state of Hawaii. It took four years of planning before the pieces were ready.
There are so many other patterns and pieces that were used in the White House, but we don’t have space to show them all. Needless to say, each one is stately, elegant, and would make any meal look good. And, it goes without saying that any of these pieces would be highly desired collector’s items!
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