Exhibition Guide

Pieces from the Hayes Presidential Service

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About Designer: Theodore Russell Davis

(American, 1840-1894)

Art Object Info

Medium:
Hard-paste porcelain with overglaze enamel and gilt decoration
Date:
designed 1879–1880, in production 1880–1886

These plates are decorated with native birds, animals, and plants representing habitats across the United States. They were designed for the White House during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893). Guided by watercolor images of American flora and fauna by artist-illustrator Theodore Davis, French ceramicists painted and gilded each piece by hand. Produced just after the American Civil War (1861-1865), Davis’ representation of both northern and southern species symbolically united the recently divided nation on the president’s dining table and through rare copies, such as most of these examples, made for private households.

BMA

Pieces from the Hayes Presidential Service

Date:
designed 1879–1880, in production 1880–1886
Medium:
Hard-paste porcelain with overglaze enamel and gilt decoration

These plates are decorated with native birds, animals, and plants representing habitats across the United States. They were designed for the White House during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893). Guided by watercolor images of American flora and fauna by artist-illustrator Theodore Davis, French ceramicists painted and gilded each piece by hand. Produced just after the American Civil War (1861-1865), Davis’ representation of both northern and southern species symbolically united the recently divided nation on the president’s dining table and through rare copies, such as most of these examples, made for private households.

BMA