Cup and saucer

1868

Place madeChina

Porcelain

Overall (cup): 2 3/8 × 3 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (6 × 8.9 × 7 cm)
Overall (saucer): 5 1/2 × 1 1/8 in. (14 × 2.9 cm)

Purchased with support from Helen Appel, Patricia D. Klingenstein, Neal Moszkowski, Pam B. Schafler, and Eric Wallach

2015.24.2ab

In 1868, before moving into the White House, president-elect Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia ordered a 315-piece Chinese export porcelain dinner service in the popular Rose Medallion pattern through Captain Daniel Ammen, a boyhood friend of Grant’s. Ammen placed the order in China and had the service shipped to New York City in the spring of 1869; from there, it was delivered to the Executive Mansion. The service is typical of wares in the Rose Medallion pattern, a densely patterned, enamel painted style popular during the late 19th century. The Grant service is distinguished by a central medallion containing the entwined monogram “USG,” surrounded by a laurel wreath. After Grant’s presidency, the couple used the service in their townhouse at 3 E. 66th Street in New York City. Their eldest son, Frederick Dent Grant, inherited the china and used it while serving as commander of the Eastern Division of the U.S. Army and living on in the commandant’s house on Governor’s Island.

ClassificationsCERAMICS