In honor of President’s Day, we thought we would highlight some of the tea accessories found at the White House and in the collection of items curated by the White House Historical Association. You can find the images of these items in the digital gallery on their site and see so many other items that where used in the White House. (Yes, we are sending you on a digital scavenger hunt to find what we are talking about.) So here are just 3 of the more unique tea pieces that are a part of our country’s history.

1. Lucretia Garfield, wife of President Garfield, selected a silver and ebony tea pot from Dominick & Haff of New York for her tea service. Dominick & Haff where known in the mid to late 1800s as the cutting edge in patterns and designs of sterling silver pieces. The firm was bought by Reid & Barton in 1928, which is why this name is not familiar. This teapot is definitely unique in shape and size, even by today’s standards.
2. President Franklin D. Roosevelt & First Lady Elenor Roosevelt received a bright red and gold art deco tea pot, creamer, and sugar bowl from the Crown Prince of Norway. This is a piece reflective of the time period. It is truly eye catching. We are not sure what the tea cups would need to be to properly match this set.
3. Our favorite for most elaborate tea cup in the Presidental china, comes from President Hayes. Famous American artist Theodore Russell Davis was commissioned to design pieces that showed native flora and fauna of North America for Haviland China set Mrs. Hayes wanted for the White House china service. Since this was a custom set that included 130 different designs for the 562 piece set, it was no small undertaking for the Haviland Company.

The White House Historical Association has the important job of preserving and giving the public access to the history of our executive mansion. It does a great job doing just that through its amazing website that highlights the history and collections of this famous place. If you haven’t, take some time looking at their collections and learn a little about all that has gone on there. It is a wonderful resource and a fun way to learn about American history.