Good Deal....

In honor of Veteran's Day, the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA is admission free (normally $10) today. They have special events planned, along with an awards presentation and concerts. The exhibits at the Nixon Library are always first rate and they always display plenty of White House China in their gift shop. And, for the record....the Nixons did not have their own china pattern.

Smithsonian: Museum of American History

With an opportunity to pay a quick visit to the Smithsonian Institution's American History Museum, it was gratifying to see that one of the most popular (at least today) exhibits there was "The American Presidency".
The entire exhibit on our Presidency was jammed with visitors, young and old, which was also great to see.

Lincoln's stovepipe hat, Washington's chair, and many, many other Presidential artifacts are on display with well-written informational laques accompanying each vignette. Some of my favorite items are the items from our Presidents' role as commander-in-chief: President Andrew Jackson's sword from his Louisiana campaign in the War of 1812....President Dwight Eisenhower's miltary uniform....and, even the furniture from the meeting room of the Civil War surrender of the South at Appomattox, with President U.S. Grant. Each amazing in their own right....all together in a fantastic exhibit.

There was even a small section devoted to the china collections of various presidents. Of course, we would always prefer to see larger displays of china (ok, we are partial for a reason), the current showing seems appropriate given all the other terrific items on diplay. From left to right: LBJ dinner plate (with the flower of the 'state' of Dist of Columbia flower inthe center); Reagan China charger plate with presidential seal at 12 o'clock; Hayes dinner plate; Monroe dinner plate;
On the shelve below: Pierce tall compote; John Adams sauce boat;

And, finally...our favorite part of the museum - the gift shop with the display of Woodmere's White House Collection. The store was busy - nice to see - and the pretty young clerk was excited to tell me that she had just sold a Great Seal bowl a few minutes before. Very nice.

Add the Smithsonian's Museum of American History to your list of stops on your next visit to our Nation's capitol.

Dining at Monticello: Thomas Jefferson Shows Us How He Entertained

In this coming season where you will most assuredly be welcoming guests to your table, why not combine food and history by getting a copy of "Dining at Monticello: In Good Taste and Abundance". You will initially be captured by the great photography and then, by the wonderful recipes - some written in Jefferson's own hand. Showcasing the many culinary tastes of Thomas Jefferson, this is a terrific book for the food lover in your life. Edited by Damon Lee Fowler, Dining at Monticello came out a couple of years ago that's true. But, these classic recipes will always be in style. You will especially appreciate all the attention to detail in the accompanying historical notes.

And then....to round out the complete Monticello meal ....why not use Woodmere's Jefferson dinner plates? Here's a link to our entire collection:
http://www.woodmerechina.com/whitehouse_items.cfm?item=3
You will see our attention to authentic detail by some of the beautiful photographs in the book! You can find it at Amazon.com, and other fine book outlets everywhere.

Lincoln Wedding Day

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the 167th wedding anniversary for President and Mrs. Lincoln. Anybody know what the right gift is for that anniversary?

I don't believe the picture is of Mrs. Lincoln in her wedding dress, but it looks pretty fancy all the same.

Holiday "Insider" Promotion

"A penny saved is a penny earned" according to our old friend Ben Franklin.

Well, it's great to see so many of our website friends saving as they continue to round out their Woodmere collections with our current Holiday "Insider" Promotion. We've always known that our customers were quick to spot a great deal!

Happy Birthday to John Adams - 1st White House Resident

Today, in 1735, John Adams was born in Massachusetts. The first president to live in the building that would become The White House, Adams and his wife, Abigail, brought with them two sets of china. The blue cornflower design depicted here was likely the first china used for formal dinners at the Exectuive Mansion. Although we have to admit, there could have only been a handful of formal dinners in the short few months the Adams occupied the house before giving way to our third president, Thomas Jefferson.

Why the James Madison china is so rare

You may not have ever given it much thought, but the of all the Presidential chinas, one of the rarest is that of President James Madison. On August 24th of 1814, the British burned much of Washington, including The Executive Mansion with nearly all of its furnishings. The engraving below is from the Library of Congress and depicts the Capitol City in flames.                                                        

         

With all this pillaging and burning, most of the Madison china was lost. So, while all Presidential china is rare and valuable....perhaps one of the most rare is that of our 4th President, James Madison.
Another interesting fact is that when the British were done with their carnage on Washington, they headed to do similar destruction in the city of Baltimore.
However, the folks at Fort McHenry would have none of that and from that great defense of the Baltimore harbor came our national anthem, written by Frederick, Maryland lawyer Francis Scott Key as he stood on the decks of a British ship near what is now the the Francis Scott Key bridge. If you ever pass through that area, look for the signs highlighting the Battle of North Point which was one of the land defenses for Baltimore.