Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-04
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

If when the First Lady Of the Land
OF SO years ago was indulging IN ner
New China for the P eetina the o. china Ina
White uousa which was to
House table at functions OF state she
desired something which would strike an
extraordinarily distinctive note. the
following description of some OF the
decorative designs printed in The Star
of August 2: 1879, would indicate tnat
the lady's wish must surely nave psen i
fully gratified, and. incidentally. tnat
If and when used it must have riValed
the most brilliantly illuminated volume
of nursery rhymes of the day:
MFR, Theodore r. Davis of the stan
of Harper's Weekly has completed and
sent to Haviland & Co. in Limoges.
France, over so designs for state
dinner set of chinaware ordered for
the White House. Mr.. Davis gives the
embrace a special design for the oyster
plate The soup plate is modelled from
the Kalmia flower. the mountain laurel.
the form being that of bowl rather
than of the narrow-based plate at
present in use It is the flower with its
natural base instead of the circular
base. and the decoration of this series
WILL De Sunplc. L1lOuBH Ala SoAoAS
embracing this list of subjects: A CLAM
bake, crab, green turtle. okra, palmetto,
cabbage, maize, potato. laurel. frog.
The fish series of IL is headed by
a platter. the decoration of which is a
magnificent shad, gilled in golden net.
The form of this fish is novel. being
rectangular, with the edges rolled and
tipped with dead gold, The decorations
include bluefish chasing a porgy,
laJ~e A~h
rapin of Maryland, and the red snapper
Of the Gulf of Mexico chasing butter
fiy-fSh. The game series embraces de-
signs representing different species of
American game feasting or flying,
bathing. etc.
The dinner series will consist of
II plates illustrating the following sub
jects: An antelope in the cactus bad
lands: a bear in bee-tree. in which
MIR. Bruin has got into trouble, while
comrade, seated comfortably below,
laughs at him, and Thunderstorm in
the distance gives tone to the picture;
q black-tailed bear ascending the slope
of the Rocky Mountains at sunrise;
big horn or Rocky Mountain sheep; an
old buffalo in snoWstorm, surrounded
by coyotes and gray wolves; chickens in
a garden: a coon in persimmon tree;
the cranes walk around: on the plains
at night with Custer: the Mayf1ower;
peccaries. or the wild pigs of America,
and the Virginia deer. which is a night
effect. -
1.-The jack-light is in gold with its
reflection sparkling in the water be-
meath, and its CLEANS tingeing the lily
pods with gold. A noble buck stands
knee-deep among these. The dessert
set will be quite simple in design. the
subjects being entirely American, and
embracing among others the following:
The pecan nut of Texas. the chincapin.
the paw-paw and the persimmon. The
last plate of the service will be Of
Indian design, a facsimile Of an Indian
plate. artistically handled. This plate Is
called 'crackerS-cheese and cigars I
have introduced an independent Ameri-
can butter plate. the object of which is
to give point of color and reflective
light in the glasses 1t is a pond-lily
leaf. slightly curled, and upon the
surface of the leaf Is a drop of Havi-
lands faience glaze Stimulating water.
The after dinner coffee cup is of very
novel design. and quite unlike any cup
at present in use. The tea-cup is a
Mandarins hat inverted. The stem of
spray of the tea plant forms the handle.
The chocolate cup is also novel. Mr..
Haviland writes that there will be but
IS sets designed by Haviland and my
self. and the Presidents set will be
numbered"