Set of Twelve Porcelain Soup Plates from the State Dinner Service Designed for Rutherford B. Hayes Designed by Theodore R. Davis for Haviland & Co., 1884-1889 Each printed and naturalistically painted with images of American themes and flora and fauna, comprising Okra, 1776, The Harvest Moon, Tomato, The Frog, Clam Bake and Chowder, Crab, Southward Flight, Turtle at Sunset, Palm, Pine and Mountain Laurel, and Native American Rainbow, each printed on the side with The Great Seal of the United States and stamped on the reverse with H&Co., Theodore R. Davis and Design Patented August 10th, 1880 No.11933 as found on those pieces marketed for sale, fitted in the original Haviland & Co. box. Diameter 9 inches. Literature: Marian Klamkin. White House China. Charles Scribner's Sons: New York, 1972, pp. 82-89 (plates 18-20). The state dinner service ordered by Hayes was the first of its kind. Following tradition, the original order to Haviland & Co. from the White House was for fern decorated china, but after the First Lady, Lucy Webb Hayes met Theodore Davis, an artist/reporter for Harper's Weekly, her choice quickly changed. Davis convinced Mrs. Hayes that the White House china should be designed by an American and should depict American motifs. He succeeded and won the commission to create the designs. Davis painted 130 different watercolors as well as modeling twelve new shapes of plates for the service. Though the new service was more extensive, consisting of more than 1,000 pieces, and much more expensive to create than the china Mrs. Hayes had first ordered, Haviland & Co. honored the original contract, billing the U.S. government a mere $4,000, probably one fifth of what it actually cost the company to create. With the hope to recoup some of their losses, Haviland & Co. produced pieces of the service for sale to the public; these pieces have a patent mark on the obverse. Haviland & Co. also published a book in New York, 1880, titled The White House Porcelain Service, Designs by an American Artist Illustrating Exclusively American Fauna and Flora, which successfully created interest amongst collectors of china and Americana to purchase reproductions of the Hayes service. The set of twelve soup plates offered here are an example of this second reproduction. While the soup plates have appeared at auction before, in groups of four or fewer, there is no recent record of the full set of twelve being offered, and none with their original fitted box.
Plates appear to be in excellent condition, possibly some light wear to enamel. No chips. Box with some edge and joint wear typical of age.
Set of Twelve Porcelain Soup Plates from the State Dinner Service Designed for Rutherford B. Hayes Designed by Theodore R. Davis for Haviland & Co., 1884-1889 Each printed and naturalistically painted with images of American themes and flora and fauna, comprising Okra, 1776, The Harvest Moon, Tomato, The Frog, Clam Bake and Chowder, Crab, Southward Flight, Turtle at Sunset, Palm, Pine and Mountain Laurel, and Native American Rainbow, each printed on the side with The Great Seal of the United States and stamped on the reverse with H&Co., Theodore R. Davis and Design Patented August 10th, 1880 No.11933 as found on those pieces marketed for sale, fitted in the original Haviland & Co. box. Diameter 9 inches. Literature: Marian Klamkin. White House China. Charles Scribner's Sons: New York, 1972, pp. 82-89 (plates 18-20). The state dinner service ordered by Hayes was the first of its kind. Following tradition, the original order to Haviland & Co. from the White House was for fern decorated china, but after the First Lady, Lucy Webb Hayes met Theodore Davis, an artist/reporter for Harper's Weekly, her choice quickly changed. Davis convinced Mrs. Hayes that the White House china should be designed by an American and should depict American motifs. He succeeded and won the commission to create the designs. Davis painted 130 different watercolors as well as modeling twelve new shapes of plates for the service. Though the new service was more extensive, consisting of more than 1,000 pieces, and much more expensive to create than the china Mrs. Hayes had first ordered, Haviland & Co. honored the original contract, billing the U.S. government a mere $4,000, probably one fifth of what it actually cost the company to create. With the hope to recoup some of their losses, Haviland & Co. produced pieces of the service for sale to the public; these pieces have a patent mark on the obverse. Haviland & Co. also published a book in New York, 1880, titled The White House Porcelain Service, Designs by an American Artist Illustrating Exclusively American Fauna and Flora, which successfully created interest amongst collectors of china and Americana to purchase reproductions of the Hayes service. The set of twelve soup plates offered here are an example of this second reproduction. While the soup plates have appeared at auction before, in groups of four or fewer, there is no recent record of the full set of twelve being offered, and none with their original fitted box.
Plates appear to be in excellent condition, possibly some light wear to enamel. No chips. Box with some edge and joint wear typical of age.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
