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China service of the Lincoln administration

The china service of the Lincoln administration generally refers to a set of purple-banded china (porcelain) dishes used for serving and eating food at the White House, home of the president of the United States for state dinners. Also known as the Lincoln solferino china service (in reference to the purple border), it was purchased in April 1861 by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. The porcelain was manufactured by Haviland & Co. in France, and some of the decoration of the china was made overseas. Additional decoration was made by the American firm of E. V. Haughwout & Co., which sold the china to Mrs. Lincoln.

Pieces of the 1861 Lincoln "solferino" state china on display in the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Much of the china was broken or too chipped to be used by the end of the first Lincoln administration in 1865. A second set of much plainer buff banded china was ordered in the Lincoln administration, and was used for family non-state entertaining. Mrs. Lincoln ordered or was given a third set of china with a pink border shortly before leaving the White House, and it was delivered to her private home.

The administration of Andrew Johnson ordered a second set of "Lincoln solferino china" in 1865, but some of this set did not survive Johnson's term in office. The administrations of Ulysses S. Grant, Chester Arthur, and Grover Cleveland also purchased replacement pieces.

Little of the original Lincoln china remains to this day. The largest collections are owned by the White House and the Smithsonian Institution, with several other smaller collections held by both public institutions and private collectors.

Decision to purchase new china edit

 
Mary Todd Lincoln in 1861

When the Lincolns moved into the White House in March 1861 (inaugurations did not move to January until the 1940s), they found it in a terrible state. Furniture throughout the executive mansion was broken, wallpaper was peeling off in many rooms, and the décor was cheap, shoddy, and tasteless.[1] President James Buchanan, Lincoln's predecessor, was a lifelong bachelor. His niece, Harriet Lane, acted as hostess and de facto First Lady. Lane focused primarily on her hosting duties, rather than maintaining the White House. Although Congress allotted President Buchanan $20,000 ($628,143 in 2022 dollars) to refurbish the White House when he moved in, Buchanan spent nearly all these funds on building a glass conservatory adjacent to the mansion to replace an orangery on the east side of the White House built during the Jackson administration but torn down to make way for an expansion of the Treasury Building.[1][2][a] Only two rooms were in acceptable condition: The Blue Room and the East Room. The Blue Room had been wallpapered and carpeted in 1837 during the administration of Martin Van Buren, and the Rococo Revival gilded wood furniture (a purchase of Harriet Lane's, financed by the auction of older White House furniture) had only arrived in December 1859.[5][b] The centerpiece of this suite was a large circular settee with a central table for flowers.[7] The East Room, which was largely unfurnished because it was used as a ballroom, retained its 1818 Federal style furniture (which had been reupholstered in 1829),[8] 1839 silver wallpaper with gold border,[9] and 1853 draperies, lace curtains, and carpet.[10] The East Room, was nonetheless, somewhat shabby.[1][11][12]

Mary Todd Lincoln discovered that the White House china – which had been purchased in the administration of Franklin Pierce in the early 1850s – was in a sorry state. There were only enough plates, cups, saucers, and serving dishes to serve about 10 guests,[1] and what china remained was mismatched and damaged.[13][14][15] Harriet Lane had purchased no new china during the Buchanan administration, limiting her purchases to crystal and gold spoons for use during tea parties and coffee receptions.[1]

The President had access to certain public funds to maintain and furnish the White House. These included $5,000 a year ($162,852 in 2022 dollars) for redecorating the White House, and $6,000 a year ($195,422 in 2022 dollars) to make repairs to the structure.[16][13]

The first (solferino) Lincoln china set edit

The 1861 buying trip edit

Prior to the presidential inauguration, Mrs. Lincoln had spent January 11 to 22, 1861, in New York City shopping for clothes. During this time, she became acquainted with many of the city's finer merchants, and established accounts at several of them.[17]

On May 10, 1861, Mrs. Lincoln traveled to New York City on a purchasing trip to redecorate the White House. She was accompanied by William S. Wood, interim Commissioner of Public Buildings;[18] Colonel Robert Anderson, who defied the Confederacy by attempting to hold Fort Sumter in April 1861; Mrs. Elizabeth Todd Grimsley, her sister; and a niece.[19] After a brief stop-over in Philadelphia, the entourage arrived in New York City late on May 11. With stores closed on Sunday, May 12,[20] she spent May 13 and May 14 shopping for a carriage, clothes, furniture, and household goods at A. T. Stewart & Co., Lord & Taylor, and other stores.[20][21]

Solferino design edit

 
Demonstration plates created in 1853 for the Franklin Pierce administration served as the basis for the Lincoln "solferino" china.

On May 15, Mrs. Lincoln visited the china showroom of E. V. Haughwout & Co.[22] Haughwout's showed her a "specimen plate" they had exhibited at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York in 1853.[23][24][25] The company had produced the plate in the hopes that President Pierce would like it and buy a set of china based on its look.[26][27] The "Pierce Plate" was a creamy white porcelain emblazoned with the arms of the United States.[28] These depicted an America eagle in the Napoleonic style (slender wings outspread, slender neck and head, facing right, leaning left), gripping a shield emblazoned with the U.S. colors (white band at top rimmed in blue, with blue stars on the field, and narrow red and white stripes below). The shield tilted to the right, and the lower southeast corner was lost in rosy clouds which surrounded and were in back of the eagle. Drifting through the clouds left and right of the shield was a ribbon with the national motto ("E pluribus unum"). An olive branch extended to the left, and a sheaf of arrows to the right. A wide dark blue border,[28][27] its outer rim dotted with tiny white stars, encircled the plate. The beyond that was a twisted gold rope ("in the Alhambra style").[24][28][27] The edges of the demonstration plate were lightly scalloped.[29]

Mary Lincoln was thrilled with the design. She asked for only minimal changes. The most important was that the blue band be replaced with "solferino". Solferino was a moderate purplish-red color similar to magenta—a highly popular color at the time. A dye that could create the solferino color had only been discovered in 1859, so asking for solferino color was asking for the trendiest color then available. It was also close to purple, which was Mrs. Lincoln's favorite color.[28] Mrs. Lincoln also asked that the edges of the plates be more heavily scalloped.[29]

Solferino orders edit

Lincoln ordered 666 pieces of china for the White House.[23] The dining service – which consisted of two large salad bowls, four pickle bowls, 18 meat platters of various sizes (ranging from 9 to 20 inches (23 to 51 cm) in diameter), four fish platters of various sizes, two butter dishes, six vegetable platters, 96 dinner plates, 48 soup bowls, four water pitchers, and two ice bowls – consisted of 190 pieces.[30] The 208-piece dessert service consisted of custard cups, fruit bowls of various heights and sizes, strawberry bowls, sugar bowls, fruit baskets (some oval, some round), dessert plates, coffee cups, and two large shell-shaped bowls.[31] The breakfast/tea service consisted of tea plates, preserve plates, coffee cups, egg cups, tea cups, and cake plates for a total of 260 pieces.[31] She also ordered four "servers" (large plates for serving chocolates),[31] two punch bowls,[31] and four large centerpieces (white pelicans formed a pillar on top of which was a large platform on which dishes could be presented).[23][31]

Mary Lincoln was so happy with the china service that she also ordered a small set for the family's personal use,[23][32] and a "toilet set" for use in the family bedrooms. The toilet set was ordered on July 18, 1861, and consisted of two services. The one for Abraham and Mary Lincoln consisted of a ewer and basin, covered chamber pot, soap box, brush tray, jug, foot bath, and slop jar.[33] It cost $45, and was decorated with the solferino border,[33] although the Alhambra edging was replaced with a quatrefoil and tassel motif.[24] The Great Seal of the United States was replaced with a Gothic "ML" in the center.[34][32] A plain white toilet set, with the same items, formed the second set. This less fancy set cost just $24.50. Mrs. Lincoln ordered a third fancy toilet set, this one decorated with the U.S. coat of arms, on July 30. It appears intended for Mrs. Lincoln's bedroom, as it also included a ewer, sponge box, powder box, and pair of candlesticks. The cost of the third toilet set was $115.[33]

Manufacture of the Solferino set edit

 
The E.V. Haughwout Building in New York City, which Mary Todd Lincoln visited in April 1861 and where most of the decoration was added to the "solferino" china service

The china was produced by Haviland & Co. in Limoges, France.[23] American porcelain manufacturers simply were not up to the task of producing fine china, and could not have produced as many pieces as Mrs. Lincoln wished.[35] Haviland undoubtedly gilded the edges with the gold rope and painted the solferino band on the plate, then shipped it to New York City. The Haughwout company finished the decorating.[23][36] A stencil was used to create an outline of the image, which was then painted in by hand.[23][c]

The final design was slightly different from the Pierce plate. The Lincoln eagle faced left, not right; the clouds only formed the lower arc of a circle, and obscured the southwest corner of the shield; the olive branch was more prominent, and the arrows less numerous; and a glowing yellow sun (not glowing clouds) backed the eagle. The stars around the outer edge of the solferino band were now just gilt dots.[38]

Silverware and glassware orders edit

Mrs. Lincoln also ordered three dozen gilded silver forks, 10 dozen silver-plated and iron-handled dinner knives ($240), and six dozen dessert knives ($120).[33][39] She also had an older gold-plated flatware set regilded at a cost of either $1,783[33] or $2,343.[40] E.V. Haughwout & Co. provided both the new dining utensils and the regilding.[33][41][d]

She completed her purchases by ordering glassware. She purchased the glassware on July 3, 1861, from A. P. Zimaudy[e] of Washington, D.C. This $1,500 set of glassware[44][45] was richly cut and one side inscribed with the U.S. coat of arms.[44][39] The glassware was manufactured by Christian Dorflinger, a company based in Brooklyn, New York,[46][39] and was much thinner and lighter than the typical White House heavy crystal which had been used since the Andrew Jackson administration.[47] Small flowers were depicted on the sides and backs of the glassware. A decorative border of umbrella-like shapes was etched into the lip, and the base featured a star and fan of spreading rays.[48] The exact content of the glassware order is not clear,[49] but probably included four dozen complete settings (water glass, red wine glass, white wine glass, champagne flute, dessert wine glass, and all-purpose glass) as well as some serving dishes.[50][51][52] White House glassware historian Jane Shadel Spillman believes the glassware collection was probably similar to a "presentation" set given to Japanese diplomats by E.V. Haughwout the year before. This presentation set included goblets, champagne glasses, wine glasses, claret glasses, green-tinted hock glasses,[f] cordial glasses, quart- and pint-size decanters, claret decanters, bowls, side dishes, finger bowls, and saltcellars.[50] The setting also probably included punch bowls, double-handled punch cups, ice cream plates, carafes, sugar bowls, and celery vases.[50] Among the known serving dishes were a relish dish[52] and a compote dish.[12][53][54]

Solferino cost edit

The White House china set cost $3,195.[31] (The family's personal china, which Mrs. Lincoln bought at a discount since it was ordered at the same time as the government-owned set, cost $1,106.37.)[34][32] She turned the invoice for the publicly owned china over to the federal government for payment.[55][g]

Mrs. Lincoln saw the "solferino" china during a return trip to New York City in August 1861, and approved its delivery.[28] E.V. Haughwout delivered the china on September 2, 1861.[23] Some scholars claim Abraham Lincoln thought the expense too much, and refused to pay it.[56] This appears to be a myth, as Lincoln approved the invoice a week before the china was received, and the federal government paid the invoice on September 16, 1861.[34][57][h]

The Lincoln china was the first State Dinner Service chosen entirely by a First Lady,[23][24] and the most complete set of dinnerware ever assembled at the White House up to that time.[46]

Loss of the "solferino" set edit

 
Candlestick holder and cap, part of the "solferino" third toilet set ordered by Mrs. Lincoln in July 1861

By late 1864, much of the "solferino" china set had been damaged or broken. During Willie Lincoln's funeral in February 1862, much of it had been damaged, and mourners and souvenir-seekers made off with a number of pieces.[60] There was so little of it left by November 1864 that Mrs. Lincoln was forced to purchase a dozen teacups with a simple colored band from the D.C. firm of Webb and Beveridge in order to host a tea party. (This simple set cost $11.)[34]

What remained of the "solferino" china, some of the buff china, crystal, and flatware was stolen by servants and others in the weeks after Lincoln's assassination.[61] Some crystal and buff china were seen for sale in a second-hand shop in Georgetown, and the large punch bowl made its way to Shaw's saloon in Baltimore. Benjamin French, Commissioner of Public Buildings, was accused of having made off with much of it. At congressional hearings into the issue, French implied that Mrs. Lincoln had stolen the items herself.[62]

When Mary Todd Lincoln turned the White House over to Andrew Johnson on May 26, 1865, only three partial place settings, some teacups, and some odds and ends were left of the "solferino" set.[63][64] Smithsonian Institution historian Susan Detweiler believes that these three settings consisted of pieces of the Pierce and Polk china, plus pieces of either the Lincoln "solferino" or buff band china.[63]

Post-Lincoln re-orders of the "solferino" set edit

In July 1865, President Andrew Johnson asked Haughwout & Co. to make an inventory of the White House china and silver, and to make replacements as necessary. Congress subsequently made a $30,000 appropriation at the end of 1865 to pay for the general refurbishment of the house (which included the china and silver replacements).[65] The administration replaced the entire "solferino" china set with an identical set on January 17, 1866, also manufactured by Haviland and decorated by E. V. Haughwout and Company.[63][66] This china is different from the 1861 set, as both the outline and the colors were done by hand (no stencil was used).[23][67] This second order of "Lincoln china" consisted of 391 pieces,[24] and included pickle dishes, custard cups, egg cups, serving dishes of various depths, compote dishes, sugar bowls, baskets, butter dishes, dinner plates, dessert plates, tea plates, soup plates, preserve plates, breakfast coffee cups, regular coffee cups, tea cups, water pitchers, and one salad bowl, cake plate, and ice bowl.[64] There is little documentary evidence, but oral tradition claims that E.V. Haughwout contracted with Edward Lycett, the most famous china painter in the United States at the time, to decorate the china.[67][i] Glassware was also reordered from Haughwout & Co. in 1866, and manufactured by the New England Glass Co. of Cambridge, Massachusetts.[68]

But this service did not last long, either. An inventory taken on February 28, 1867, showed that some of the original "solferino" and the Johnson replacement "solferino" survived, along with some of the crystal plates and cut glass. E. V. Haughwout estimated the value of the remaining pieces at $22,000.[69]

 
Reproduction "solferino" china, such as this set for sale at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in 2012, began to be sold as early as 1876.

The Grant administration ordered 275 replacements (which included 72 cups and saucers) for the Johnson "solferino" set in 1873.[24] It was delivered on December 10, 1873.[70] The porcelain was manufactured by Haviland[71] and imported and decorated by the firm of J. W. Boteler and Brother of Washington, D.C.[24] The service consisted of plates in three sizes, compote dishes, and cups and saucers, and cost $1,207.21.[70] This china may be identified by the words "Fabriqué par Haviland & Co./Pour/J. W. Boteler & Bro./Washington", which is painted or stamped on the back.[23][72] By the end of the first Grant administration, there was not enough left to set dinner for eight or nine people.[68][j]

An extensive survey of the White House china was made personally by Chester Arthur and doorkeeper Charles Loeffler in autumn 1881.[73][k] Three full sets of china were discovered: The Lincoln "solferino" set (made up of replacement orders from the Johnson and Grant administrations), the Grant flower-and-buff band china set, and the Rutherford B. Hayes china set.[73] In July 1884,[74] Arthur made a replacement order for the Lincoln "solferino" china.[23][24] This order was also manufactured by Haviland,[71] and consisted of 30 dishes.[24] This china also had "Fabriqué par Haviland & Co./Pour/J. W. Boteler & Bro./Washington" on the back.[72] The cost of these replacements was $150.[74][l]

A final Lincoln "solferino" reorder was placed in 1894 during the second administration of Grover Cleveland. Once more, Haviland manufactured the blanks, and J.W. Boteler & Son decorated the pieces in the United States.[36]

Beginning in 1876, reproduction pieces of the "solferino" china were produced in the United States.[72] Haviland did not begin stamping their name on the back of their china until 1876. A large number of reproduction china services, made of hard-paste porcelain and stamped "Administration/Abraham Lincoln" (in black or red color) on the back,[75] were made for sale at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.[24] After Edith Roosevelt, wife of President Theodore Roosevelt, showed intense interest in previous White House China in 1902, the firm of Dulin & Martin began offering copies of the Lincoln "solferino" and other presidential china sets for sale to the public.[76] Much of the "Lincoln china" which collectors have in their possession is reproduction china; the original china ordered by Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Andrew Johnson have no markings on the back.[31]

In the early 1960s, Jacqueline Kennedy would often use the Lincoln "solferino" china as serving plates.[77] By May 1964, there remained enough of the Lincoln "solferino" china replacements to completely set two tables (about 12 place settings).[78] During the Ford administration, Betty Ford would often use the Lincoln "solferino" to serve individual courses at small formal occasions, or for family dining.[79]

The second (buff) Lincoln china set edit

 
Sugar bowl and dinner plate which formed part of the "Lincoln buff" china service ordered in late 1864

In late 1864, Mrs. Lincoln ordered a new set of china for family, non-state dinners in the White House.[34] This time, the importer was China Hall, a company owned by James K. Kerr of Philadelphia.[23][34] The design this time was extremely simple: A white plate, with a buff border edged in gilt lines.[23][80] This 511-piece set consisted of dining plates, soup plates, dessert plates, ice cream plates, a wide variety of dishes (large and small fish platters, vegetable platters, side dish platters), tureens, sauce boats, pickle dishes, salad bowls, custard cups, fruit baskets (round and oval), fruit platters, sugar bowls, coffee cups and saucers, and other items. This 181-piece set cost $1,700, and was billed on January 30, 1865.[80] It's not clear which firm manufactured the china, but it is clearly of French manufacture.[81]

Glassware was also replenished at this time. Mrs. Lincoln ordered 24 plain cut goblets (probably for family dining) in November 1864 and January 1865 from the D.C. firm of Webb & Beveridge. The cost was just $30.[82] On January 30, 1865,[83] she also ordered glassware to replace broken and stolen glassware for public events from John Kerr's China Hall, at a cost of $612.50.[82] This service included four dozen each of goblets, champagne glasses, claret glasses, burgundy glasses, madeira glasses, sherry glasses, hock glasses, and cordial glasses. The bases appear to have been plain (unlike the 1861 order), except for the madeira glasses—which were more richly carved and featured the rays on the foot. The hock glasses were ruby (not green) in color,[83][12] and the madeira glasses may also have been red colored.[84] She ordered another four decanters on March 25.[83]

On February 20, Mrs. Lincoln made an addition order of coffee cups and saucers, water pitchers, and bowls. These 24 items were in the same style, and cost $173.50.[80]

The main set of china arrived in the United States via express shipment on February 13, 1865.[23][80] The remaining 46 pieces arrived a few weeks later.[23] But it was probably delivered just days before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865.[23]

The receipt for the "Second Administration" buff china was delivered shortly after Andrew Johnson became President.[23] The bill for the main china order and glassware was paid on August 29, 1865, and the bill for the additional china paid on February 10, 1866.[64]

Loss of the Lincoln buff china set edit

An inventory of White House furnishings taken on May 26, 1865, showed that nearly the entire buff band china service had survived.[63] It appeared to be inferior or roughly handled, however, and much of it broke over the next two years. An inventory dated February 28, 1867, indicated that only a few pieces of this set remained.[69]

In the late 1800s, much of the buff china service was collected by Admiral Francis W. Dickins, a noted collector of porcelain. He misattributed this china to the administration of James Monroe, an error which was perpetuated by scholars and nonexperts alike for many years.[85] Individual collectors often misidentify this china as also having come from the Monroe administration.[64] The White House, too, often misattributed the china, mixing it with buff banded china ordered during the Grant administration. This problem with the White House china collection was rectified in 1958. Mamie Eisenhower, a fan of beautiful china, asked the Smithsonian Institution to assist her in researching and cataloguing correctly the White House china collection.[86] This led to the correct identification of the buff band china with the Lincoln administration.[70]

The third (pink) Lincoln china set edit

 
The third, "pink" Lincoln china service, which arrived after President Lincoln's death and which was never used in the White House

In early 1865, Mrs. Lincoln ordered yet a third set of china. Records regarding this set are minimal, and it is unclear if it was purchased or was a gift from the manufacturer.[87] The set was clearly ordered by Mrs. Lincoln before May 26, 1865, but did not arrive until after July 26, 1865 (once she had left Washington, D.C., and settled at the Hyde Park Hotel in Hyde Park, Illinois).[87][88]

The "pink set" was provided by James K. Kerr of Philadelphia.[87] The china has a pink border. Inside the border is a gold Greek fret motif, and a gold monogram capital letter "L" is centered in the plates and saucers.[81] Kerr most likely decorated the piece, or at least provided the gilding and monogram.[89]

Importance of the Lincoln china sets edit

 
A reproduction of the Lincoln "solferino" china, created for the Inaugural Luncheon of President Barack Obama in 2009

The Lincoln "solferino" china service is considered one of the most beautiful ever purchased by the White House.[90] The "solferino" china also has deeply influenced other china sets purchased by the president. In 1891, Caroline Harrison, wife of President Benjamin Harrison, ordered a new state china service that used the same blank as the "solferino" set. The U.S. coat of arms was an adaptation of the one used on the Lincoln china set.[91] David Barquist, curator of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has noted that while the Lincoln "solferino" china set was reviled as pretentious when unveiled, it later "became so popular it was one of the most reordered sets."[92] Food for the Inaugural Luncheon of President Barack Obama in January 2009 was served on a reproduction of the Lincoln "solferino" service.[93]

As of 2009, Lincoln china was some of the most sought-after presidential china by collectors. While most White House china plates were sold at auction for about $4,000 to $6,000, Lincoln "solferino" plates sold for $14,100. "Solferino" souvenir plates were much less sought after, however, and could be found for just $300.[94]

Current Lincoln china collections edit

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.; The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan; the Chicago Historical Society in Chicago, Illinois;[72] and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,[24] all have good collections of the Lincoln "solferino" china. Many private collectors also have pieces.[72]

The Smithsonian Institution and the White House also have pieces of the buff china in their collections. Individual collectors have pieces as well, although these are often misidentified as coming from the Monroe or Grant administrations.[64]

The Lincoln family's personal set of "solferino" china stayed in the family for many years before being sold. It was last in the possession of Henry Horner, governor of Illinois, at the time of his death in 1940.[32] Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, the great-grandson of Abraham Lincoln, also retained some of the personal "solferino" china (as well as some of the silverware).[95] It is unclear which of the three institutions which benefitted from Beckwith's will (Iowa Wesleyan College, the American Red Cross, and the Church of Christ, Scientist) received the china and silver, or if it was sold at auction.[96]

See also edit

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ The building had also been extensively modernized during the administration of James K. Polk (1845-1849). Coal gas lines were added throughout the structure to provide lighting, and a gas furnace installed in the basement to provide central heat. This meant that the wood-burning fireplaces in each room were no long used, reducing the amount of soot and smoke damage which attended their use. Plumbing and sewer lines were also added to the private quarters. Each bedroom now had a sink (with drainage into a sewer line, not a bucket) with two faucets (providing hot and cold water), and two flush toilets now existed in the family section.[3][4]
  2. ^ Congress authorized the White House to auction off used and broken furniture in 1797. Such auctions were a regular occurrence until 1903.[6]
  3. ^ This technique was called "enluminage". Developed by David Haviland himself, the decoration was first engraved on a copper plate. The copper plate was dusted with the color to be transferred, and a special piece of paper pressed against the copper plate to pick up the color. The color was then transferred to the porcelain plate, creating an outline of the decoration. The outline was then filled in by hand.[37]
  4. ^ White House gardener John Watt alleged that the cost of the silverware was $6,000, and that Mary Lincoln tried to hide this cost by claiming it was for regilding of lighting fixtures.[42]
  5. ^ Many sources list the name of the firm as "Zimandy", but the original invoice in the National Archives clearly spells the name "Zimaudy".[43]
  6. ^ A hock glass is a tall wine glass with a delicate stem and small bowl. It was usually used for drinking white wine from Germany, such as a Riesling.
  7. ^ The New York World newspaper inaccurately reported in September 1864 that the china cost $800, and that Mary Lincoln attempted to have $1,400 in other purchases added to the china bill in order to hide her profligate spending habits. Haughwout & Co. vehemently denied the charge publicly.[55]
  8. ^ It is true that Mary Todd Lincoln overspent significantly in refurbishing the White House generally, and President Lincoln was very angry over the expenditures. Congress eventually passed two additional appropriations to cover these expenses.[58][59]
  9. ^ The silver replacements also arrived in 1866.[65]
  10. ^ The Grant administration also ordered replacement glassware in 1873, in the same style as the Lincoln glassware. This was supplied by Hoare & Dailey/Corning Glass Works of Corning, New York.[68]
  11. ^ Arthur ascended to the presidency after the death of President James A. Garfield on September 19, 1881, three months after being shot at a train station in Washington, D.C.
  12. ^ Although the Arthur administration made no reorder of the Lincoln glassware, the first Cleveland administration did. The reorder was made in 1885 and provided by T. G. Hawkes of Corning, New York.[68]
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e Baker 1987, p. 182.
  2. ^ Temple & Finegold 2002, pp. 2–3.
  3. ^ Winkle 2013, p. 67.
  4. ^ Dewhirst 2004, p. 235.
  5. ^ Phillips-Schrock 2013, p. 104.
  6. ^ Monkman 2000, p. 14.
  7. ^ Temple & Finegold 2002, p. 3.
  8. ^ Garrett 1995, pp. 141, 145.
  9. ^ Singleton 1907, pp. 252–253.
  10. ^ Ellison 2014, p. 119.
  11. ^ Epstein 2009, p. 308-309, 334.
  12. ^ a b c Monkman 2000, p. 124.
  13. ^ a b Craughwell 2011, p. 20.
  14. ^ Watson 2000, p. 83.
  15. ^ King 2005, p. 40.
  16. ^ Baker 1987, p. 187.
  17. ^ Temple 2012, p. 149-150.
  18. ^ Ellison 2014, p. 187.
  19. ^ Temple 1959, p. 188.
  20. ^ a b Temple 2012, p. 152.
  21. ^ Nevius & Nevius 2014, p. 128.
  22. ^ Temple 1959, pp. 183–184.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Detweiler 1975, p. 47.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Detweiler 2008, p. 48.
  25. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, pp. 82, 84.
  26. ^ Monkman 2000, p. 117.
  27. ^ a b c Freylinghausen 2000, p. 330.
  28. ^ a b c d e Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 84.
  29. ^ a b Klamkin 1972, p. 70.
  30. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, pp. 84–85.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 85.
  32. ^ a b c d Pratt & East 1945, p. 20.
  33. ^ a b c d e f Pratt & East 1945, p. 22.
  34. ^ a b c d e f Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 87.
  35. ^ Yokota 2011, p. 66.
  36. ^ a b Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 82.
  37. ^ Detweiler 1975, pp. 53–54.
  38. ^ "Chance to Own a Bit of History". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. March 17, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  39. ^ a b c Monkman 2000, p. 125.
  40. ^ Burlingame 1994, p. 344, fn. 244.
  41. ^ Burlingame 2006, p. 197.
  42. ^ Burlingame 1994, p. 304.
  43. ^ Spillman 1989, p. 146, fn.128.
  44. ^ a b Epstein 2009, p. 339.
  45. ^ Monkman 2000, p. 291.
  46. ^ a b Ramsey 1965, p. 70.
  47. ^ Spillman 1989, pp. 67–77.
  48. ^ Spillman 1998, p. 265.
  49. ^ Pratt & East 1945, p. 19.
  50. ^ a b c Spillman 1989, p. 68.
  51. ^ Klapthor 1982, p. ix.
  52. ^ a b Kostyal 2009, p. 121.
  53. ^ Gardner & Hoffman 1979, p. 113.
  54. ^ Spillman 1989, p. 69.
  55. ^ a b Burlingame 1994, pp. 304, 344.
  56. ^ Donald 1995, p. 313.
  57. ^ Ellison 2014, pp. 123–124.
  58. ^ Baker 1987, pp. 188–190.
  59. ^ Packard 2013, pp. 88–90.
  60. ^ Whitcomb & Whitcomb 2000, p. 365.
  61. ^ Monkman 2000, p. 133.
  62. ^ Baker 1987, p. 249.
  63. ^ a b c d Detweiler 1975, p. 52.
  64. ^ a b c d e Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 90.
  65. ^ a b Monkman 2000, p. 135.
  66. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 86, 90.
  67. ^ a b Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 91.
  68. ^ a b c d Monkman 2000, p. 290.
  69. ^ a b Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 92.
  70. ^ a b c Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 99.
  71. ^ a b Klapthor et al. 1999, pp. 82, 86.
  72. ^ a b c d e Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 86.
  73. ^ a b Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 122.
  74. ^ a b Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 125.
  75. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, pp. 86, 294.
  76. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 151.
  77. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 169.
  78. ^ Johnson 2007, pp. 130–131.
  79. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 183.
  80. ^ a b c d Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 89.
  81. ^ a b Detweiler 1975, p. 49.
  82. ^ a b Spillman 1989, p. 70.
  83. ^ a b c Spillman 1989, p. 71.
  84. ^ Spillman 1989, pp. 70–71.
  85. ^ Detweiler 2008, p. 52.
  86. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, pp. 9–12.
  87. ^ a b c Detweiler 1975, pp. 49–50.
  88. ^ Emerson 2012, pp. 113–116.
  89. ^ Detweiler 1975, p. 50.
  90. ^ Baker, A.G. (December 1903). "The China of the Presidents". Munsey's Magazine. p. 328. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  91. ^ Klapthor et al. 1999, p. 128.
  92. ^ Moonan, Wendy (July 7, 2006). "Presidential China on View at Philadelphia Museum". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  93. ^ Smith, Andrew F. (January 14, 2009). "The First Suppers: A Tradition of Inaugural Meals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
  94. ^ Kovel, Terry (February 11, 2009). "Mary Lincoln's White House China Fetches Top Dollar". Fort Myer Florida Weekly. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  95. ^ "Great-Grandson's Death Ends Lincoln Family Line". Chicago Tribune. December 26, 1985. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  96. ^ Beschloss, Michael (February 28, 1994). "Last of the Lincolns". The New Yorker. pp. 54–58.

Bibliography edit

  • Baker, Jean H. (1987). Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 0393024369.
  • Burlingame, Michael (1994). The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln. Urbana , Ill.: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0252020863.
  • Burlingame, Michael (2006). "Mary Todd Lincoln's Unethical Conduct as First Lady". At Lincoln's Side: John Hay's Civil War Correspondence and Selected Writings. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0809322935.
  • Craughwell, Thomas J. (2011). Presidential Payola: The True Stories of Monetary Scandals in the Oval Office That Robbed Tax Payers to Grease Palms Stuff Pockets, and Pay for Undue Influence From Teapot Dome to Halliburton. Beverly, Mass.: Fair Winds Press. ISBN 9781592334513.
  • Detweiler, Susan G. (1975). American Presidential China. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
  • Detweiler, Susan G. (2008). American Presidential China: The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. New Haven, Conn.: Philadelphia Museum of Art and Yale University Press. ISBN 9780876331927.
  • Dewhirst, Robert E. (2004). "Renovating the White House: A Brief History". In Watson, Robert P. (ed.). Life in the White House: A Social History of the First Family and the President's House. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0791460975.
  • Donald, David Herbert (1995). Lincoln. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0684808463.
  • Ellison, Betty Boles (2014). The True Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786478361.
  • Emerson, Jason (2012). Giant in the Shadows: The Life of Robert T. Lincoln. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 9780809330553.
  • Epstein, Daniel Mark (2009). The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 9780345478009.
  • Freylinghausen, Alice Cooney (2000). "Empire City Entrepreneurs: Ceramics and Glass in New York City". In Voorsanger, Catherine Hoover; Howat, John K. (eds.). Art and the Empire City: New York, 1825-1861. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 0870999575.
  • Gardner, Paul Vickers; Hoffman, Joan P. (1979). Glass. New York: Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
  • Garrett, Wendell D. (1995). Our Changing White House. Boston: Northeastern University Press. ISBN 1555532225.
  • Johnson, Lady Bird (2007). A White House Diary. Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292717497.
  • King, C.J. (2005). Four Marys and a Jessie: The Story of the Lincoln Women. Manchester, Vt.: Friends of Hildene. ISBN 0975491733.
  • Klamkin, Marian (1972). White House China. New York: Scribner. ISBN 068412758X.
  • Klapthor, Margaret Brown (1982). The First Ladies Cook Book: Favorite Recipes of All the Presidents of the United States. New York: Parents Magazine Enterprises. ISBN 0939456036.
  • Klapthor, Margaret Brown; Monkman, Betty C.; Allman, William G.; Detweiler, Susan Gray (1999). Official White House China: 1789 to the Present. New York: Barra Foundation. ISBN 0810939932.
  • Kostyal, K.M. (2009). Abraham Lincoln's Extraordinary Era: The Man and His Times. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. ISBN 9781426203282.
  • Monkman, Betty C. (2000). The White House: Its Historic Furnishings and First Families. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. ISBN 0789206242.
  • Nevius, James; Nevius, Michelle (2014). Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers. Guilford, Conn.: Lyons Press. ISBN 9780762796366.[permanent dead link]
  • Packard, Jerrold M. (2013). The Lincolns in the White House: Four Years That Shattered a Family. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312313029.
  • Phillips-Schrock, Patrick (2013). The White House: An Illustrated Architectural History. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786471522.
  • Pratt, Harry E.; East, Ernest E. (February 1945). "Mrs. Lincoln Refurbishes the White House". Lincoln Herald: 13–22.
  • Ramsey, Natalie Allen (1965). The Decorator Digest: Chapters in the History of Early American Decoration and Its European Background. Rutland, Vt.: C.E. Tuttle Co.
  • Singleton, Esther (1907). The Story of the White House. New York: The McClure Company. p. 252. East Room Van Buren.
  • Spillman, Jane Shadel (1989). White House Glassware: Two Centuries of Presidential Entertaining. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. ISBN 0912308362.
  • Spillman, Jane Shadel (1998). "Service of Table Glass With Weld Family Arms". In Groft, Tammis Kane; Mackay, Mary Alice (eds.). Albany Institute of History & Art: 200 Years of Collecting. New York: Hudson Hills Press. ISBN 1555951007.
  • Temple, Wayne C. (Spring 1959). "Mary Todd Lincoln's Travels". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society: 180–194.
  • Temple, Wayne C. (2012). ""I Am So Fond of Sightseeing: Mary Lincoln's Travels Up to 1865". In Williams, Frank J.; Burkhimer, Michael (eds.). The Mary Lincoln Enigma: Historians on America's Most Controversial First Lady. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 9780809331246.
  • Temple, Dottie; Finegold, Stan (2002). Flowers, White House Style. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743223348.
  • Watson, Robert P. (2000). The Presidents' Wives: Reassessing the Office of First Lady. Boulder, Colo.: L. Rienner. ISBN 1555878601.
  • Whitcomb, John; Whitcomb, Claire (2000). Real Life at the White House: Two Hundred Years of Daily Life at America's Most Famous Residence. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0415923204.
  • Winkle, Kenneth J. (2013). Lincoln's Citadel: The Civil War in Washington, D.C. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393081558.
  • Yokota, Kariann Akemi (2011). Unbecoming British: How Revolutionary America Became a Postcolonial Nation. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195393422.

External links edit

  • "White House Entertaining - The First Ladies at the Smithsonian, Smithsonian Museum of American History
  • "Caroline Harrison collection of White House china", C-SPAN's American History TV

china, service, lincoln, administration, china, service, lincoln, administration, generally, refers, purple, banded, china, porcelain, dishes, used, serving, eating, food, white, house, home, president, united, states, state, dinners, also, known, lincoln, sol. The china service of the Lincoln administration generally refers to a set of purple banded china porcelain dishes used for serving and eating food at the White House home of the president of the United States for state dinners Also known as the Lincoln solferino china service in reference to the purple border it was purchased in April 1861 by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln The porcelain was manufactured by Haviland amp Co in France and some of the decoration of the china was made overseas Additional decoration was made by the American firm of E V Haughwout amp Co which sold the china to Mrs Lincoln Pieces of the 1861 Lincoln solferino state china on display in the National Museum of American History in Washington D C Much of the china was broken or too chipped to be used by the end of the first Lincoln administration in 1865 A second set of much plainer buff banded china was ordered in the Lincoln administration and was used for family non state entertaining Mrs Lincoln ordered or was given a third set of china with a pink border shortly before leaving the White House and it was delivered to her private home The administration of Andrew Johnson ordered a second set of Lincoln solferino china in 1865 but some of this set did not survive Johnson s term in office The administrations of Ulysses S Grant Chester Arthur and Grover Cleveland also purchased replacement pieces Little of the original Lincoln china remains to this day The largest collections are owned by the White House and the Smithsonian Institution with several other smaller collections held by both public institutions and private collectors Contents 1 Decision to purchase new china 2 The first solferino Lincoln china set 2 1 The 1861 buying trip 2 2 Solferino design 2 3 Solferino orders 2 4 Manufacture of the Solferino set 2 5 Silverware and glassware orders 2 6 Solferino cost 2 7 Loss of the solferino set 2 8 Post Lincoln re orders of the solferino set 3 The second buff Lincoln china set 3 1 Loss of the Lincoln buff china set 4 The third pink Lincoln china set 5 Importance of the Lincoln china sets 6 Current Lincoln china collections 7 See also 8 References 9 Bibliography 10 External linksDecision to purchase new china edit nbsp Mary Todd Lincoln in 1861When the Lincolns moved into the White House in March 1861 inaugurations did not move to January until the 1940s they found it in a terrible state Furniture throughout the executive mansion was broken wallpaper was peeling off in many rooms and the decor was cheap shoddy and tasteless 1 President James Buchanan Lincoln s predecessor was a lifelong bachelor His niece Harriet Lane acted as hostess and de facto First Lady Lane focused primarily on her hosting duties rather than maintaining the White House Although Congress allotted President Buchanan 20 000 628 143 in 2022 dollars to refurbish the White House when he moved in Buchanan spent nearly all these funds on building a glass conservatory adjacent to the mansion to replace an orangery on the east side of the White House built during the Jackson administration but torn down to make way for an expansion of the Treasury Building 1 2 a Only two rooms were in acceptable condition The Blue Room and the East Room The Blue Room had been wallpapered and carpeted in 1837 during the administration of Martin Van Buren and the Rococo Revival gilded wood furniture a purchase of Harriet Lane s financed by the auction of older White House furniture had only arrived in December 1859 5 b The centerpiece of this suite was a large circular settee with a central table for flowers 7 The East Room which was largely unfurnished because it was used as a ballroom retained its 1818 Federal style furniture which had been reupholstered in 1829 8 1839 silver wallpaper with gold border 9 and 1853 draperies lace curtains and carpet 10 The East Room was nonetheless somewhat shabby 1 11 12 Mary Todd Lincoln discovered that the White House china which had been purchased in the administration of Franklin Pierce in the early 1850s was in a sorry state There were only enough plates cups saucers and serving dishes to serve about 10 guests 1 and what china remained was mismatched and damaged 13 14 15 Harriet Lane had purchased no new china during the Buchanan administration limiting her purchases to crystal and gold spoons for use during tea parties and coffee receptions 1 The President had access to certain public funds to maintain and furnish the White House These included 5 000 a year 162 852 in 2022 dollars for redecorating the White House and 6 000 a year 195 422 in 2022 dollars to make repairs to the structure 16 13 The first solferino Lincoln china set editThe 1861 buying trip edit Prior to the presidential inauguration Mrs Lincoln had spent January 11 to 22 1861 in New York City shopping for clothes During this time she became acquainted with many of the city s finer merchants and established accounts at several of them 17 On May 10 1861 Mrs Lincoln traveled to New York City on a purchasing trip to redecorate the White House She was accompanied by William S Wood interim Commissioner of Public Buildings 18 Colonel Robert Anderson who defied the Confederacy by attempting to hold Fort Sumter in April 1861 Mrs Elizabeth Todd Grimsley her sister and a niece 19 After a brief stop over in Philadelphia the entourage arrived in New York City late on May 11 With stores closed on Sunday May 12 20 she spent May 13 and May 14 shopping for a carriage clothes furniture and household goods at A T Stewart amp Co Lord amp Taylor and other stores 20 21 Solferino design edit nbsp Demonstration plates created in 1853 for the Franklin Pierce administration served as the basis for the Lincoln solferino china On May 15 Mrs Lincoln visited the china showroom of E V Haughwout amp Co 22 Haughwout s showed her a specimen plate they had exhibited at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York in 1853 23 24 25 The company had produced the plate in the hopes that President Pierce would like it and buy a set of china based on its look 26 27 The Pierce Plate was a creamy white porcelain emblazoned with the arms of the United States 28 These depicted an America eagle in the Napoleonic style slender wings outspread slender neck and head facing right leaning left gripping a shield emblazoned with the U S colors white band at top rimmed in blue with blue stars on the field and narrow red and white stripes below The shield tilted to the right and the lower southeast corner was lost in rosy clouds which surrounded and were in back of the eagle Drifting through the clouds left and right of the shield was a ribbon with the national motto E pluribus unum An olive branch extended to the left and a sheaf of arrows to the right A wide dark blue border 28 27 its outer rim dotted with tiny white stars encircled the plate The beyond that was a twisted gold rope in the Alhambra style 24 28 27 The edges of the demonstration plate were lightly scalloped 29 Mary Lincoln was thrilled with the design She asked for only minimal changes The most important was that the blue band be replaced with solferino Solferino was a moderate purplish red color similar to magenta a highly popular color at the time A dye that could create the solferino color had only been discovered in 1859 so asking for solferino color was asking for the trendiest color then available It was also close to purple which was Mrs Lincoln s favorite color 28 Mrs Lincoln also asked that the edges of the plates be more heavily scalloped 29 Solferino orders edit Lincoln ordered 666 pieces of china for the White House 23 The dining service which consisted of two large salad bowls four pickle bowls 18 meat platters of various sizes ranging from 9 to 20 inches 23 to 51 cm in diameter four fish platters of various sizes two butter dishes six vegetable platters 96 dinner plates 48 soup bowls four water pitchers and two ice bowls consisted of 190 pieces 30 The 208 piece dessert service consisted of custard cups fruit bowls of various heights and sizes strawberry bowls sugar bowls fruit baskets some oval some round dessert plates coffee cups and two large shell shaped bowls 31 The breakfast tea service consisted of tea plates preserve plates coffee cups egg cups tea cups and cake plates for a total of 260 pieces 31 She also ordered four servers large plates for serving chocolates 31 two punch bowls 31 and four large centerpieces white pelicans formed a pillar on top of which was a large platform on which dishes could be presented 23 31 Mary Lincoln was so happy with the china service that she also ordered a small set for the family s personal use 23 32 and a toilet set for use in the family bedrooms The toilet set was ordered on July 18 1861 and consisted of two services The one for Abraham and Mary Lincoln consisted of a ewer and basin covered chamber pot soap box brush tray jug foot bath and slop jar 33 It cost 45 and was decorated with the solferino border 33 although the Alhambra edging was replaced with a quatrefoil and tassel motif 24 The Great Seal of the United States was replaced with a Gothic ML in the center 34 32 A plain white toilet set with the same items formed the second set This less fancy set cost just 24 50 Mrs Lincoln ordered a third fancy toilet set this one decorated with the U S coat of arms on July 30 It appears intended for Mrs Lincoln s bedroom as it also included a ewer sponge box powder box and pair of candlesticks The cost of the third toilet set was 115 33 Manufacture of the Solferino set edit nbsp The E V Haughwout Building in New York City which Mary Todd Lincoln visited in April 1861 and where most of the decoration was added to the solferino china serviceThe china was produced by Haviland amp Co in Limoges France 23 American porcelain manufacturers simply were not up to the task of producing fine china and could not have produced as many pieces as Mrs Lincoln wished 35 Haviland undoubtedly gilded the edges with the gold rope and painted the solferino band on the plate then shipped it to New York City The Haughwout company finished the decorating 23 36 A stencil was used to create an outline of the image which was then painted in by hand 23 c The final design was slightly different from the Pierce plate The Lincoln eagle faced left not right the clouds only formed the lower arc of a circle and obscured the southwest corner of the shield the olive branch was more prominent and the arrows less numerous and a glowing yellow sun not glowing clouds backed the eagle The stars around the outer edge of the solferino band were now just gilt dots 38 Silverware and glassware orders edit Mrs Lincoln also ordered three dozen gilded silver forks 10 dozen silver plated and iron handled dinner knives 240 and six dozen dessert knives 120 33 39 She also had an older gold plated flatware set regilded at a cost of either 1 783 33 or 2 343 40 E V Haughwout amp Co provided both the new dining utensils and the regilding 33 41 d She completed her purchases by ordering glassware She purchased the glassware on July 3 1861 from A P Zimaudy e of Washington D C This 1 500 set of glassware 44 45 was richly cut and one side inscribed with the U S coat of arms 44 39 The glassware was manufactured by Christian Dorflinger a company based in Brooklyn New York 46 39 and was much thinner and lighter than the typical White House heavy crystal which had been used since the Andrew Jackson administration 47 Small flowers were depicted on the sides and backs of the glassware A decorative border of umbrella like shapes was etched into the lip and the base featured a star and fan of spreading rays 48 The exact content of the glassware order is not clear 49 but probably included four dozen complete settings water glass red wine glass white wine glass champagne flute dessert wine glass and all purpose glass as well as some serving dishes 50 51 52 White House glassware historian Jane Shadel Spillman believes the glassware collection was probably similar to a presentation set given to Japanese diplomats by E V Haughwout the year before This presentation set included goblets champagne glasses wine glasses claret glasses green tinted hock glasses f cordial glasses quart and pint size decanters claret decanters bowls side dishes finger bowls and saltcellars 50 The setting also probably included punch bowls double handled punch cups ice cream plates carafes sugar bowls and celery vases 50 Among the known serving dishes were a relish dish 52 and a compote dish 12 53 54 Solferino cost edit The White House china set cost 3 195 31 The family s personal china which Mrs Lincoln bought at a discount since it was ordered at the same time as the government owned set cost 1 106 37 34 32 She turned the invoice for the publicly owned china over to the federal government for payment 55 g Mrs Lincoln saw the solferino china during a return trip to New York City in August 1861 and approved its delivery 28 E V Haughwout delivered the china on September 2 1861 23 Some scholars claim Abraham Lincoln thought the expense too much and refused to pay it 56 This appears to be a myth as Lincoln approved the invoice a week before the china was received and the federal government paid the invoice on September 16 1861 34 57 h The Lincoln china was the first State Dinner Service chosen entirely by a First Lady 23 24 and the most complete set of dinnerware ever assembled at the White House up to that time 46 Loss of the solferino set edit nbsp Candlestick holder and cap part of the solferino third toilet set ordered by Mrs Lincoln in July 1861By late 1864 much of the solferino china set had been damaged or broken During Willie Lincoln s funeral in February 1862 much of it had been damaged and mourners and souvenir seekers made off with a number of pieces 60 There was so little of it left by November 1864 that Mrs Lincoln was forced to purchase a dozen teacups with a simple colored band from the D C firm of Webb and Beveridge in order to host a tea party This simple set cost 11 34 What remained of the solferino china some of the buff china crystal and flatware was stolen by servants and others in the weeks after Lincoln s assassination 61 Some crystal and buff china were seen for sale in a second hand shop in Georgetown and the large punch bowl made its way to Shaw s saloon in Baltimore Benjamin French Commissioner of Public Buildings was accused of having made off with much of it At congressional hearings into the issue French implied that Mrs Lincoln had stolen the items herself 62 When Mary Todd Lincoln turned the White House over to Andrew Johnson on May 26 1865 only three partial place settings some teacups and some odds and ends were left of the solferino set 63 64 Smithsonian Institution historian Susan Detweiler believes that these three settings consisted of pieces of the Pierce and Polk china plus pieces of either the Lincoln solferino or buff band china 63 Post Lincoln re orders of the solferino set edit In July 1865 President Andrew Johnson asked Haughwout amp Co to make an inventory of the White House china and silver and to make replacements as necessary Congress subsequently made a 30 000 appropriation at the end of 1865 to pay for the general refurbishment of the house which included the china and silver replacements 65 The administration replaced the entire solferino china set with an identical set on January 17 1866 also manufactured by Haviland and decorated by E V Haughwout and Company 63 66 This china is different from the 1861 set as both the outline and the colors were done by hand no stencil was used 23 67 This second order of Lincoln china consisted of 391 pieces 24 and included pickle dishes custard cups egg cups serving dishes of various depths compote dishes sugar bowls baskets butter dishes dinner plates dessert plates tea plates soup plates preserve plates breakfast coffee cups regular coffee cups tea cups water pitchers and one salad bowl cake plate and ice bowl 64 There is little documentary evidence but oral tradition claims that E V Haughwout contracted with Edward Lycett the most famous china painter in the United States at the time to decorate the china 67 i Glassware was also reordered from Haughwout amp Co in 1866 and manufactured by the New England Glass Co of Cambridge Massachusetts 68 But this service did not last long either An inventory taken on February 28 1867 showed that some of the original solferino and the Johnson replacement solferino survived along with some of the crystal plates and cut glass E V Haughwout estimated the value of the remaining pieces at 22 000 69 nbsp Reproduction solferino china such as this set for sale at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in 2012 began to be sold as early as 1876 The Grant administration ordered 275 replacements which included 72 cups and saucers for the Johnson solferino set in 1873 24 It was delivered on December 10 1873 70 The porcelain was manufactured by Haviland 71 and imported and decorated by the firm of J W Boteler and Brother of Washington D C 24 The service consisted of plates in three sizes compote dishes and cups and saucers and cost 1 207 21 70 This china may be identified by the words Fabrique par Haviland amp Co Pour J W Boteler amp Bro Washington which is painted or stamped on the back 23 72 By the end of the first Grant administration there was not enough left to set dinner for eight or nine people 68 j An extensive survey of the White House china was made personally by Chester Arthur and doorkeeper Charles Loeffler in autumn 1881 73 k Three full sets of china were discovered The Lincoln solferino set made up of replacement orders from the Johnson and Grant administrations the Grant flower and buff band china set and the Rutherford B Hayes china set 73 In July 1884 74 Arthur made a replacement order for the Lincoln solferino china 23 24 This order was also manufactured by Haviland 71 and consisted of 30 dishes 24 This china also had Fabrique par Haviland amp Co Pour J W Boteler amp Bro Washington on the back 72 The cost of these replacements was 150 74 l A final Lincoln solferino reorder was placed in 1894 during the second administration of Grover Cleveland Once more Haviland manufactured the blanks and J W Boteler amp Son decorated the pieces in the United States 36 Beginning in 1876 reproduction pieces of the solferino china were produced in the United States 72 Haviland did not begin stamping their name on the back of their china until 1876 A large number of reproduction china services made of hard paste porcelain and stamped Administration Abraham Lincoln in black or red color on the back 75 were made for sale at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 24 After Edith Roosevelt wife of President Theodore Roosevelt showed intense interest in previous White House China in 1902 the firm of Dulin amp Martin began offering copies of the Lincoln solferino and other presidential china sets for sale to the public 76 Much of the Lincoln china which collectors have in their possession is reproduction china the original china ordered by Mrs Lincoln and Mrs Andrew Johnson have no markings on the back 31 In the early 1960s Jacqueline Kennedy would often use the Lincoln solferino china as serving plates 77 By May 1964 there remained enough of the Lincoln solferino china replacements to completely set two tables about 12 place settings 78 During the Ford administration Betty Ford would often use the Lincoln solferino to serve individual courses at small formal occasions or for family dining 79 The second buff Lincoln china set edit nbsp Sugar bowl and dinner plate which formed part of the Lincoln buff china service ordered in late 1864In late 1864 Mrs Lincoln ordered a new set of china for family non state dinners in the White House 34 This time the importer was China Hall a company owned by James K Kerr of Philadelphia 23 34 The design this time was extremely simple A white plate with a buff border edged in gilt lines 23 80 This 511 piece set consisted of dining plates soup plates dessert plates ice cream plates a wide variety of dishes large and small fish platters vegetable platters side dish platters tureens sauce boats pickle dishes salad bowls custard cups fruit baskets round and oval fruit platters sugar bowls coffee cups and saucers and other items This 181 piece set cost 1 700 and was billed on January 30 1865 80 It s not clear which firm manufactured the china but it is clearly of French manufacture 81 Glassware was also replenished at this time Mrs Lincoln ordered 24 plain cut goblets probably for family dining in November 1864 and January 1865 from the D C firm of Webb amp Beveridge The cost was just 30 82 On January 30 1865 83 she also ordered glassware to replace broken and stolen glassware for public events from John Kerr s China Hall at a cost of 612 50 82 This service included four dozen each of goblets champagne glasses claret glasses burgundy glasses madeira glasses sherry glasses hock glasses and cordial glasses The bases appear to have been plain unlike the 1861 order except for the madeira glasses which were more richly carved and featured the rays on the foot The hock glasses were ruby not green in color 83 12 and the madeira glasses may also have been red colored 84 She ordered another four decanters on March 25 83 On February 20 Mrs Lincoln made an addition order of coffee cups and saucers water pitchers and bowls These 24 items were in the same style and cost 173 50 80 The main set of china arrived in the United States via express shipment on February 13 1865 23 80 The remaining 46 pieces arrived a few weeks later 23 But it was probably delivered just days before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15 1865 23 The receipt for the Second Administration buff china was delivered shortly after Andrew Johnson became President 23 The bill for the main china order and glassware was paid on August 29 1865 and the bill for the additional china paid on February 10 1866 64 Loss of the Lincoln buff china set edit An inventory of White House furnishings taken on May 26 1865 showed that nearly the entire buff band china service had survived 63 It appeared to be inferior or roughly handled however and much of it broke over the next two years An inventory dated February 28 1867 indicated that only a few pieces of this set remained 69 In the late 1800s much of the buff china service was collected by Admiral Francis W Dickins a noted collector of porcelain He misattributed this china to the administration of James Monroe an error which was perpetuated by scholars and nonexperts alike for many years 85 Individual collectors often misidentify this china as also having come from the Monroe administration 64 The White House too often misattributed the china mixing it with buff banded china ordered during the Grant administration This problem with the White House china collection was rectified in 1958 Mamie Eisenhower a fan of beautiful china asked the Smithsonian Institution to assist her in researching and cataloguing correctly the White House china collection 86 This led to the correct identification of the buff band china with the Lincoln administration 70 The third pink Lincoln china set edit nbsp The third pink Lincoln china service which arrived after President Lincoln s death and which was never used in the White HouseIn early 1865 Mrs Lincoln ordered yet a third set of china Records regarding this set are minimal and it is unclear if it was purchased or was a gift from the manufacturer 87 The set was clearly ordered by Mrs Lincoln before May 26 1865 but did not arrive until after July 26 1865 once she had left Washington D C and settled at the Hyde Park Hotel in Hyde Park Illinois 87 88 The pink set was provided by James K Kerr of Philadelphia 87 The china has a pink border Inside the border is a gold Greek fret motif and a gold monogram capital letter L is centered in the plates and saucers 81 Kerr most likely decorated the piece or at least provided the gilding and monogram 89 Importance of the Lincoln china sets edit nbsp A reproduction of the Lincoln solferino china created for the Inaugural Luncheon of President Barack Obama in 2009The Lincoln solferino china service is considered one of the most beautiful ever purchased by the White House 90 The solferino china also has deeply influenced other china sets purchased by the president In 1891 Caroline Harrison wife of President Benjamin Harrison ordered a new state china service that used the same blank as the solferino set The U S coat of arms was an adaptation of the one used on the Lincoln china set 91 David Barquist curator of the Philadelphia Museum of Art has noted that while the Lincoln solferino china set was reviled as pretentious when unveiled it later became so popular it was one of the most reordered sets 92 Food for the Inaugural Luncheon of President Barack Obama in January 2009 was served on a reproduction of the Lincoln solferino service 93 As of 2009 Lincoln china was some of the most sought after presidential china by collectors While most White House china plates were sold at auction for about 4 000 to 6 000 Lincoln solferino plates sold for 14 100 Solferino souvenir plates were much less sought after however and could be found for just 300 94 Current Lincoln china collections editThe Smithsonian Institution in Washington D C The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn Michigan the Chicago Historical Society in Chicago Illinois 72 and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia Pennsylvania 24 all have good collections of the Lincoln solferino china Many private collectors also have pieces 72 The Smithsonian Institution and the White House also have pieces of the buff china in their collections Individual collectors have pieces as well although these are often misidentified as coming from the Monroe or Grant administrations 64 The Lincoln family s personal set of solferino china stayed in the family for many years before being sold It was last in the possession of Henry Horner governor of Illinois at the time of his death in 1940 32 Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith the great grandson of Abraham Lincoln also retained some of the personal solferino china as well as some of the silverware 95 It is unclear which of the three institutions which benefitted from Beckwith s will Iowa Wesleyan College the American Red Cross and the Church of Christ Scientist received the china and silver or if it was sold at auction 96 See also editChina Room White House chinaReferences editNotes The building had also been extensively modernized during the administration of James K Polk 1845 1849 Coal gas lines were added throughout the structure to provide lighting and a gas furnace installed in the basement to provide central heat This meant that the wood burning fireplaces in each room were no long used reducing the amount of soot and smoke damage which attended their use Plumbing and sewer lines were also added to the private quarters Each bedroom now had a sink with drainage into a sewer line not a bucket with two faucets providing hot and cold water and two flush toilets now existed in the family section 3 4 Congress authorized the White House to auction off used and broken furniture in 1797 Such auctions were a regular occurrence until 1903 6 This technique was called enluminage Developed by David Haviland himself the decoration was first engraved on a copper plate The copper plate was dusted with the color to be transferred and a special piece of paper pressed against the copper plate to pick up the color The color was then transferred to the porcelain plate creating an outline of the decoration The outline was then filled in by hand 37 White House gardener John Watt alleged that the cost of the silverware was 6 000 and that Mary Lincoln tried to hide this cost by claiming it was for regilding of lighting fixtures 42 Many sources list the name of the firm as Zimandy but the original invoice in the National Archives clearly spells the name Zimaudy 43 A hock glass is a tall wine glass with a delicate stem and small bowl It was usually used for drinking white wine from Germany such as a Riesling The New York World newspaper inaccurately reported in September 1864 that the china cost 800 and that Mary Lincoln attempted to have 1 400 in other purchases added to the china bill in order to hide her profligate spending habits Haughwout amp Co vehemently denied the charge publicly 55 It is true that Mary Todd Lincoln overspent significantly in refurbishing the White House generally and President Lincoln was very angry over the expenditures Congress eventually passed two additional appropriations to cover these expenses 58 59 The silver replacements also arrived in 1866 65 The Grant administration also ordered replacement glassware in 1873 in the same style as the Lincoln glassware This was supplied by Hoare amp Dailey Corning Glass Works of Corning New York 68 Arthur ascended to the presidency after the death of President James A Garfield on September 19 1881 three months after being shot at a train station in Washington D C Although the Arthur administration made no reorder of the Lincoln glassware the first Cleveland administration did The reorder was made in 1885 and provided by T G Hawkes of Corning New York 68 Citations a b c d e Baker 1987 p 182 Temple amp Finegold 2002 pp 2 3 Winkle 2013 p 67 Dewhirst 2004 p 235 Phillips Schrock 2013 p 104 Monkman 2000 p 14 Temple amp Finegold 2002 p 3 Garrett 1995 pp 141 145 Singleton 1907 pp 252 253 Ellison 2014 p 119 Epstein 2009 p 308 309 334 a b c Monkman 2000 p 124 a b Craughwell 2011 p 20 Watson 2000 p 83 King 2005 p 40 Baker 1987 p 187 Temple 2012 p 149 150 Ellison 2014 p 187 Temple 1959 p 188 a b Temple 2012 p 152 Nevius amp Nevius 2014 p 128 Temple 1959 pp 183 184 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Detweiler 1975 p 47 a b c d e f g h i j k Detweiler 2008 p 48 Klapthor et al 1999 pp 82 84 Monkman 2000 p 117 a b c Freylinghausen 2000 p 330 a b c d e Klapthor et al 1999 p 84 a b Klamkin 1972 p 70 Klapthor et al 1999 pp 84 85 a b c d e f g Klapthor et al 1999 p 85 a b c d Pratt amp East 1945 p 20 a b c d e f Pratt amp East 1945 p 22 a b c d e f Klapthor et al 1999 p 87 Yokota 2011 p 66 a b Klapthor et al 1999 p 82 Detweiler 1975 pp 53 54 Chance to Own a Bit of History Sarasota Herald Tribune March 17 2005 Retrieved July 8 2014 a b c Monkman 2000 p 125 Burlingame 1994 p 344 fn 244 Burlingame 2006 p 197 Burlingame 1994 p 304 Spillman 1989 p 146 fn 128 a b Epstein 2009 p 339 Monkman 2000 p 291 a b Ramsey 1965 p 70 Spillman 1989 pp 67 77 Spillman 1998 p 265 Pratt amp East 1945 p 19 a b c Spillman 1989 p 68 Klapthor 1982 p ix a b Kostyal 2009 p 121 Gardner amp Hoffman 1979 p 113 Spillman 1989 p 69 a b Burlingame 1994 pp 304 344 Donald 1995 p 313 Ellison 2014 pp 123 124 Baker 1987 pp 188 190 Packard 2013 pp 88 90 Whitcomb amp Whitcomb 2000 p 365 Monkman 2000 p 133 Baker 1987 p 249 a b c d Detweiler 1975 p 52 a b c d e Klapthor et al 1999 p 90 a b Monkman 2000 p 135 Klapthor et al 1999 p 86 90 a b Klapthor et al 1999 p 91 a b c d Monkman 2000 p 290 a b Klapthor et al 1999 p 92 a b c Klapthor et al 1999 p 99 a b Klapthor et al 1999 pp 82 86 a b c d e Klapthor et al 1999 p 86 a b Klapthor et al 1999 p 122 a b Klapthor et al 1999 p 125 Klapthor et al 1999 pp 86 294 Klapthor et al 1999 p 151 Klapthor et al 1999 p 169 Johnson 2007 pp 130 131 Klapthor et al 1999 p 183 a b c d Klapthor et al 1999 p 89 a b Detweiler 1975 p 49 a b Spillman 1989 p 70 a b c Spillman 1989 p 71 Spillman 1989 pp 70 71 Detweiler 2008 p 52 Klapthor et al 1999 pp 9 12 a b c Detweiler 1975 pp 49 50 Emerson 2012 pp 113 116 Detweiler 1975 p 50 Baker A G December 1903 The China of the Presidents Munsey s Magazine p 328 Retrieved July 8 2014 Klapthor et al 1999 p 128 Moonan Wendy July 7 2006 Presidential China on View at Philadelphia Museum The New York Times Retrieved July 8 2014 Smith Andrew F January 14 2009 The First Suppers A Tradition of Inaugural Meals Los Angeles Times Retrieved July 10 2014 Kovel Terry February 11 2009 Mary Lincoln s White House China Fetches Top Dollar Fort Myer Florida Weekly Retrieved July 8 2014 Great Grandson s Death Ends Lincoln Family Line Chicago Tribune December 26 1985 Retrieved July 8 2014 Beschloss Michael February 28 1994 Last of the Lincolns The New Yorker pp 54 58 Bibliography editBaker Jean H 1987 Mary Todd Lincoln A Biography New York W W Norton amp Company ISBN 0393024369 Burlingame Michael 1994 The Inner World of Abraham Lincoln Urbana Ill University of Chicago Press ISBN 0252020863 Burlingame Michael 2006 Mary Todd Lincoln s Unethical Conduct as First Lady At Lincoln s Side John Hay s Civil War Correspondence and Selected Writings Carbondale Ill Southern Illinois University Press ISBN 0809322935 Craughwell Thomas J 2011 Presidential Payola The True Stories of Monetary Scandals in the Oval Office That Robbed Tax Payers to Grease Palms Stuff Pockets and Pay for Undue Influence From Teapot Dome to Halliburton Beverly Mass Fair Winds Press ISBN 9781592334513 Detweiler Susan G 1975 American Presidential China Washington D C Smithsonian Institution Detweiler Susan G 2008 American Presidential China The Robert L McNeil Jr Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art New Haven Conn Philadelphia Museum of Art and Yale University Press ISBN 9780876331927 Dewhirst Robert E 2004 Renovating the White House A Brief History In Watson Robert P ed Life in the White House A Social History of the First Family and the President s House Albany N Y State University of New York Press ISBN 0791460975 Donald David Herbert 1995 Lincoln New York Simon and Schuster ISBN 0684808463 Ellison Betty Boles 2014 The True Mary Todd Lincoln A Biography Jefferson N C McFarland amp Company ISBN 9780786478361 Emerson Jason 2012 Giant in the Shadows The Life of Robert T Lincoln Carbondale Ill Southern Illinois University Press ISBN 9780809330553 Epstein Daniel Mark 2009 The Lincolns Portrait of a Marriage New York Ballantine Books ISBN 9780345478009 Freylinghausen Alice Cooney 2000 Empire City Entrepreneurs Ceramics and Glass in New York City In Voorsanger Catherine Hoover Howat John K eds Art and the Empire City New York 1825 1861 New York Metropolitan Museum of Art ISBN 0870999575 Gardner Paul Vickers Hoffman Joan P 1979 Glass New York Cooper Hewitt Museum Garrett Wendell D 1995 Our Changing White House Boston Northeastern University Press ISBN 1555532225 Johnson Lady Bird 2007 A White House Diary Austin Tex University of Texas Press ISBN 9780292717497 King C J 2005 Four Marys and a Jessie The Story of the Lincoln Women Manchester Vt Friends of Hildene ISBN 0975491733 Klamkin Marian 1972 White House China New York Scribner ISBN 068412758X Klapthor Margaret Brown 1982 The First Ladies Cook Book Favorite Recipes of All the Presidents of the United States New York Parents Magazine Enterprises ISBN 0939456036 Klapthor Margaret Brown Monkman Betty C Allman William G Detweiler Susan Gray 1999 Official White House China 1789 to the Present New York Barra Foundation ISBN 0810939932 Kostyal K M 2009 Abraham Lincoln s Extraordinary Era The Man and His Times Washington D C National Geographic ISBN 9781426203282 Monkman Betty C 2000 The White House Its Historic Furnishings and First Families Washington D C White House Historical Association ISBN 0789206242 Nevius James Nevius Michelle 2014 Footprints in New York Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers Guilford Conn Lyons Press ISBN 9780762796366 permanent dead link Packard Jerrold M 2013 The Lincolns in the White House Four Years That Shattered a Family New York St Martin s Press ISBN 978 0312313029 Phillips Schrock Patrick 2013 The White House An Illustrated Architectural History Jefferson N C McFarland amp Company ISBN 9780786471522 Pratt Harry E East Ernest E February 1945 Mrs Lincoln Refurbishes the White House Lincoln Herald 13 22 Ramsey Natalie Allen 1965 The Decorator Digest Chapters in the History of Early American Decoration and Its European Background Rutland Vt C E Tuttle Co Singleton Esther 1907 The Story of the White House New York The McClure Company p 252 East Room Van Buren Spillman Jane Shadel 1989 White House Glassware Two Centuries of Presidential Entertaining Washington D C White House Historical Association ISBN 0912308362 Spillman Jane Shadel 1998 Service of Table Glass With Weld Family Arms In Groft Tammis Kane Mackay Mary Alice eds Albany Institute of History amp Art 200 Years of Collecting New York Hudson Hills Press ISBN 1555951007 Temple Wayne C Spring 1959 Mary Todd Lincoln s Travels Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 180 194 Temple Wayne C 2012 I Am So Fond of Sightseeing Mary Lincoln s Travels Up to 1865 In Williams Frank J Burkhimer Michael eds The Mary Lincoln Enigma Historians on America s Most Controversial First Lady Carbondale Ill Southern Illinois University Press ISBN 9780809331246 Temple Dottie Finegold Stan 2002 Flowers White House Style New York Simon and Schuster ISBN 9780743223348 Watson Robert P 2000 The Presidents Wives Reassessing the Office of First Lady Boulder Colo L Rienner ISBN 1555878601 Whitcomb John Whitcomb Claire 2000 Real Life at the White House Two Hundred Years of Daily Life at America s Most Famous Residence New York Routledge ISBN 0415923204 Winkle Kenneth J 2013 Lincoln s Citadel The Civil War in Washington D C New York W W Norton amp Company ISBN 9780393081558 Yokota Kariann Akemi 2011 Unbecoming British How Revolutionary America Became a Postcolonial Nation New York Oxford University Press ISBN 9780195393422 External links edit White House Entertaining The First Ladies at the Smithsonian Smithsonian Museum of American History Caroline Harrison collection of White House china C SPAN s American History TV Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title China service of the Lincoln administration amp oldid 1177076457, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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