The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-08
CHINA SET FOR
THE WHITE HOUSE
DINNER SERVICE TO COST 10000
NOTED DECORATORS OF CHINA
TOOK PART IN SELECTION.

=
When Mrs Theodore Roosevelt retires
as the mistress of the White House she
will leave souvenir which will endear
her to future Presidents wives.
With the change in the interior dec
oratlOns and arrangements of the
White House there will also be a new
set of china and glassware which will
be the envy Of every housewife in the
country. 1t is doubtful If there is an
other set as handsome in use in the
United States. The price to be paid
for this porcelain service is not divulg-
ed, but it is said it will be about $780,
600 for the eight hundred or more
pieces.
When Mrs. Roosevelt began her du-
ties i'm The White House she found
that the china for state occasions and
large receptions had been III use since
| 1880 having been selected by Mrs.
Hayes. The first social function given
| by President Roosevelt showed that
the service was entirely inadequate
| This service is very handsome and cost
$4,000 but time and servants have left
their marks upon it, L was designed
| by Theodore r. Davis and the deCora-
lions were American fauna and flora.
1t was manufactured by Haviland &
CO. of France. The designs were made
! in water color, and although in nearly
every instance they were bold and
striking, they were difficult to repro
duce upon porcelain with hard mineral
colors. To successfully accomplish this
it was necessary to invent new meth
DDS and have recourse to peculiar me-
chanical appliances.
Mrs. Roosevelt sent nearly a year
! ago for Charles NJ Van Heusen OF All
bany, and commissioned him to visit
/ ba Wit, Of
submitting a collection of china and
| glass for inspection. President Roose-
welt was very much interested in the
matter and took part in the discussions
relative to what should be selected. 1t
was decided that the great seal of the
United States, which is so rarely seen
now that few arr acquainted with it,
should be enameled on the service.
Then the hunt for samples commenced.
After seven months Of searching Mr..
Van Heusen submitted to President
and Mrs Roosevelt seventy-eight diff
ferent and exclusive designs. They
ranged in price from $4,000 to $4,000.
Noted decorators of china had been at
work for months, and possibly never
before has there been such a beautiful
collection of original designs in ezra
mic art presented to the consideration
of any one with Il similar idea in view.
1t seemed as if any taste could be gra-
titled. Deep, rich reds beautiful blues
and yellows, rose Du Barrys and the
different shades of green of the very
simplest treatments that can be ina
gined were submitted.
1t was a hard matter to arrive at
selection, but Mrs. Roosevelt was de-
termined that the design should be
simple and not at all gaudy. Assisted
by her husband, Mrs. Roosevelt finally
selected for the White House service a
simple colonial pattern in gold, with
the diverse of the great seal of decor
attve feature. 1t was made by Wedg
wood This design will be exclusively
for the White House and copyrighted.
1t is the first time that the great seal
has been used for such a purpose.
That there might be no flaw in the
service Mrs. Roosevelt declared the
manufacturers should take all the
time they needed to have perfect set
1t is expected the service will be ready
for use al one of the January functions
in the White House.
The White House service will consist
| of fifteen dozen dinner plates, ten dOz-
| en- breakfast plates, ten dozen tea
| plates, ten dozen soup plates, eight
dozen after-dinner coffee cups and
saucers, ten dozen teacups, ten dozen
oyster plates, ten dozen fish plates
and twenty-four platters.
| The glassware is also strillingly
| beautiful. 1t consists of 144 pieces,
| The goblets are very thin and so fragile
that the slightest pressure would break
one
King Edward has just placed an or
der for a china set to cost 100000 and
another set which is only a few thou
sand dollars cheaper. Russia has the
finest china set in the world, the Gear
having one for which he paid $3.50 900.