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What kind of Chinaware Michelle will pick for PM's banquet? | What kind of china will be in focus in Washington's
social circles this week. The details of the first official banquet to be hosted
by the Obamas' are so closely guarded that it has become a subject of
speculation. The US First Lady's team has kept the dinner guest list, entertainment,
flowers and china patterns completely under the wraps. So, what are the China patterns
that the Michelle Obama has at her disposal? She will unveil them tomorrow to a select
group of reporters. One would presume that the White House would have extremely
ornate chinaware but, that is not the case. Understated elegance is what typifies
White House china, which is displayed in the many rooms of the presidential residence
and reflects the style of Presidents gone by. Not of royalty and people to the
manor born, but Presidents elected from backgrounds such as the log cabin (Abraham
Lincoln) or the peanut farm (Jimmy Carter) or the Texan ranch (George W. Bush)
For 200 years, presidential families have picked and chosen the chinaware that
reflected their styles. There are French porcelain oyster plates and bonbon stands
of the Rutherford B. Hayes administration and cocktail cups and oatmeal bowls
of the Woodrow Wilson era. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, also has at her disposal
two new sets of china that Laura Bush had purchased for the White House, one a
traditional Lenox gilt-edged formal style with a green basket-weave border. The
other, the Magnolia Residence China Service designed by Hungarian-born Anna
Weatherley
of Arlington. It is unlikely she will use the latter, as it is more of an informal
pattern to be used in the private quarters. For banquets, US First Ladies usually
pick a more formal pattern, if possible with gold/gilt edging to them, which may
not have intricate patterns but are imposing nonetheless. The choice of china
and flower setting are important indicators of what is the taste of the day and
it is a recorded piece of history. The White House collection of china is housed
in the White House China Room. Not every administration created their own service,
but portions of all china services created for the White House and some of the
older china services are used for small dinners on the second floor. While most
Indians at the banquet on Tuesday will be concentrating on what is served on their
plates, they probably will be unaware of the thought and planning that goes into
the serving bowls and plates. The devil is in the details you see! |
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