The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-13
Frederic Haskin's Letter
The White House China.

and sold, the Hayes dishes lost the
1 individuality which was their main
| charm.
I With White house china designs
so much copied that many people
owned articles they honestly
thought genuine; with the historic
White house china scattered to the
ends OF the country by sales, and
with no systematic records kept OF
the articles left in the executive
mansion, you may see how making
a collection of china used by the
presidents could easily take Is
years.
Luckily, presidential souvenirs
have been treasured in the families
OF the presidents. e and their de-
! scendants have been generous in
turning over some of their relics to
the government. 1t may be said
here that nothing has been, or will
| be, bought for this china collection.
| Everything that was not taken
from White house cabinets and
china closets has been donated or
| loaned.
Descendants of every president,
except those of President Johnson
who cannot be located, have been
consulted by Mrs. Baker. and they
have identified as authentic the
pieces of china representing their
ancestors.
Interest of Presidents Wives.
The mistresses of the White
house of late years have been eager
to see the china collection estab-
lished. AS far back as Mrs. Hayes
and Mrs. Harrison a cabinet to hold
historic White house china was
talked of. Finally, Mrs. Roosevelt
started the collection and had two
cabinets made and placed in a cor
ridor for the first exhibits. At the
same time she asked Mrs. Baker
to select the most worthy souvenirs
in the White house and to Cata-
logue them. The first Mrs. Wilson
planned a special room for the
presidential china exhibit. 1t re-
NAMED for the second Mrs. Wilson
actually to have the room prepared
and to install the collection which.
| by that time had become really i'm
pressiVe.
The china of the presidents is
perhaps more a souvenir Of the
first ladies of the land than of their
husbands. From the home-loving
Martha Washington all down the
/ line, the china closet has been
| largely the pride of the feminine
occupants of the mansion. Often
/ it's contents represented their tastes
rather than those of their hus
bands. There is in the collection,
for instance, one of the Harrison.
plates with it's corn and goldenTod
decoration reminiscent of Mrs. Har-
/ rison's love for goldenrod and her
| desire that it should become the
| national flower.
On the other hand, there is a
Cincinnati plate of the Washing
| tons which is certainly reminiscent
! of the general and of his founding
| of the Order of the Cincinnati In
| his time it was a popular custom
to use all sorts of insignia on arti-
cles of personal use, and Washing
ton had dining set made with the
| figure of Justice bearing the badge
of the Cincinnati as it's design.
Both Washington and Jefferson
sent to Paris to obtain such things
as ornaments and silverware.
Washington's friend, Gouverneuri
| Morris, suggests in letter that thei
president may think him eXtraya-.
| CANT for his purchases. His excuse.
was: "I think it of great impor-'
lance to fix the taste of the coun-i
try properly, and l think your ex-.
ample will go very far in that re-
spect."
A Prize Piece.
| n h.
! jects in the china collection is the
| fruit dish which has long been IN
the White house and is now iden--
tilted as one of the Madison dishes,
very probably one saved by the
leyel-headed Madame Dolly when.
the capital was attacked by the
British.
The dish is very elaborate. 1t is,
set on a pedestal formed by figures
of the three graces. The decora-t
lions in blue and gold match eI'
actly those on the Madison table
china. An employee of the White
house remembered seeing the dish
in use in Lincoln's time. Later it,
! disappeared, and Mrs Harrison,
! found it in the attic in three pieces
and had it neatly repaired.
| The identity and historic asso-t
| Citations connected with each artl-
| Gle in the china collection has been.
arranged on a series Of cards by
Mrs. Baker. Colonel Sheriff., su-
perintendent of buildings and
grounds, the official custodian OF
the White house china. plans to-
post the cards on a revolving cata-'
| iogue case in the center Of the eI-
| hibit room so that visitors can CON-
yeniently study the historic china
Of the presidents.