White House China of the Lincoln Administration in the Museum of History and Technology

The narrative opens with Mary Todd Lincoln’s urgent quest to replace the White House’s shabby pantryware just after her husband’s inauguration. With congressional funds in hand, she travels to New York and Philadelphia, inspecting displays at Lord & Taylor and the famed E.V. Haughwout & Co., where a striking specimen plate from the 1853 Crystal Palace exhibition catches her eye. Her choice to swap the original blue border for a vivid “solferino” trim sets the tone for a porcelain program that reflects both personal taste and the nation’s aspirations during the early days of the Civil War.

Drawing on National Archives records, contemporary newspaper accounts, and family correspondence, the author weaves together myth‑busting details and the broader story of presidential tableware. Listeners will discover how the Lincolns’ china order became more than decorative art—it was a statement of dignity for a country in turmoil, and the first chapter of a larger Smithsonian series that chronicles the evolving elegance of White House hospitality.