Lincoln Home
Historic Furnishings Report 		NPS Logo

THE PLAN

SECTION E: RECOMMENDED FURNISHINGS (continued)

DINING ROOM: ROOM D

See p. 313, for Summary of Furnishings and Cost Estimates.

DINING ROOM: ROOM D
Object: D.1 — Table
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Drop-leaf, walnut, Cottage style table with turned legs.
Location: Center of the room.
Documentation: The table now in the Lincoln dining room has a history of Lincoln ownership. It was one of several items purchased from them by Hugh Gallagher. (See pp. 75-76 for discussion.)
Source: LIHO 25.


Object: D.2-9 — Chairs (8)
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: Fancy chairs with stenciled crest rails, horizontal splat, rush seat, turned legs.
Location: Dining room, around the table and against the walls.
Documentation: (See pp. 57-59.) An examination of the chairs with a Lincoln history of ownership shows that the fancy chairs are the most likely to have been a set of dining room chairs in the Lincoln home. They have the strongest Lincoln provenance, since one came through the Oldroyd Collection, and fancy chairs, with rush or cane seats, were a practical choice for dining room furniture. They were often recommended by household advisories and chair manufacturers.
Source: LIHO 59, 66, 77, 79, 92, 98, 1061, 1190.


Object: D.10 — Serving Table
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Late Empire style, pedestal, card table.
Location: Against south wall, on either side of window (depending on placement of heating duct).
Documentation: A card table with a history of Lincoln ownership descended to the family of one of Mrs. Lincoln's sisters. (See pp. 74-75 for provenance.)
Source: LIHO 29.


Object: D.11 — Sideboard
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Cottage style, cherry or walnut, of local manufacture.
Location: East wall.
Documentation: Although the sideboard was a new furniture form for the well-to-do at the beginning of the nineteenth century, by mid-century, its popularity was widespread. For example, in Springfield in 1850, J. Hutchinson listed "side-boards" as part of his stock of items made at his manufactory (Daily Journal, Wednesday, January 2, 1850). It is not likely that the Lincolns would have omitted a sideboard from their dining room furnishings.
Source: LIHO 33.


Object: D.12 — One Large Framed Print
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Subject should be a hunting scene in a period frame.
Location: South wall, east side of the window.
Documentation: Period practice. Dining room prints usually had a subject matter relating to food such as a fruit still life or a hunting scene.
Source: LIHO 180, a print depicting game birds is appropriate.


Object: D.13 — One Large Framed Print or Watercolor
Date: 1840-1860
Brief Description: Subject should be a hunting scene or still life in a period frame.
Location: South wall, west side of the window.
Documentation: Period practice. Dining room prints usually had a subject matter relating to food such as a fruit still life or a hunting scene.
Source: To be acquired (antique).


Object: D.14 — Two Tablecloths, Twelve Napkins, and One Crumb Cloth
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: A tablecloth and napkins of plain white cotton should be used for a breakfast setting and a tablecloth and napkins of plain white linen should be used for an evening tea or festive occasion. Crumb cloth to be made of light canvas or a heavy linen.
Location: To be placed on and under the dining room table.
Documentation: Records show that Mary Lincoln made several purchases in 1859 of tablecloths, table linen, and napkins (see pp. 98-100). Period practice indicates the use of a crumb cloth.
Source: One cotton tablecloth with six cotton napkins, and one linen tablecloth with six linen napkins, and a linen or canvas crumb cloth to be acquired (antique or reproduction).


Object: D.15-16 — China
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: Six plates and assorted serving pieces in transfer printed Staffordshire creamware or white ironstone.
Location: Plates to be used at each place setting and serving pieces to be used on the dining room table, sideboard, and serving table.
Documentation: The archeological excavations (documented on pp. 77-79) uncovered identifiable mid-nineteenth-century transfer printed Staffordshire creamware and ironstone shards in appropriate quantities to suggest the possibility that it was used by the Lincolns; along with shards of pressed glass from goblets and tumblers in patterns (such as flute and paneled) that were commonly used in mid-century households. Springfield City Directories for 1855-1859 include merchant advertisements for china, queensware, Brittania ware, crockery, and glassware in plain pressed glass, cut, and Bohemian.

There is a transfer printed plate in the NPS collection (LIHO 192) that has a Lincoln association (see pp. 101-102 for documentation). It could be used on the table as a serving piece.

Also documented on pp. 101-102 are three other pieces of china in the NPS collection that supposedly came from the Lincolns' home-an ironstone bowl (LIHO 193), a creamware pitcher (LIHO 197), and a leaf-shaped ironstone serving dish (LIHO 195). Those pieces of china are characteristic of china in use at mid-century and would be appropriate on the table, although they should not be presented as Lincoln associated items, because of the absence of authentication. The NPS collection also contains four small plates, four dinner-size plates, a platter, and a covered vegetable dish (LIHO 1019-1028) in blue transferware. Those pieces are identified on the bottom with an elongated octagonal wreath and "Dawson." Dawson was produced by South, Hylton and Ford Potteries (ca. 1799-1864) of Sunderland, Durham, England. [12] That china does not have a documented Lincoln association but, like the china mentioned above, would be appropriate.

The NPS collection also contains some ironstone china (LIHO 212254) that is identified as "sprig pattern." Various pieces are marked on the bottom in different ways--"REAL IRONSTONE CHINA;" PARIAN STONE;" and impressed into another is a hallmark with what looks like a lion on the left and a horse on the right, in the middle is a shield with "OPAQUE, GRANITE CHINA, W.H. & CO." That particular trade-mark is identified as belonging to Whittaker, Heath and Co., Hallfield Pottery, Hanley, Ca. 1892-8. [13] This china is, therefore, not appropriate for use in the Lincoln Home.

Source: To be acquired (antique). Two blue transfer ware dinner plates, marked "Dawson," would complete a set now in the LIHO Collection (LIHO 1019, 1021-1028). Another alternative is to purchase six plates of one of the earthenware types in the archeological excavations. A large number of plain white ironstone shards were uncovered in quantities which suggest the presence of a set, some with decoration in relief and some marked by Bridgwood and Clarke of Burslem. The Staffordshire Potteries of Bridgwood and Clarke, Churchyard Works, Burslem, made opaque porcelain between the mid-1850s and 1874. Decorated services of tableware were also available from Bridgwood and Clarke, impressed with the name and bearing a printed mark, the royal arms above PORCELAIN OPAQUE! B & C/ BURSLEM. [14] China produced by the Joseph Clementson Staffordshire Potteries from 1839 to 1855 might also be considered. The leaf-shaped dish discussed on pp. 101-102 was produced by that manufacturer and it supposedly belonged to the Lincolns.


Object: D.17 — Tea Service and Tray
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: One china tea service with cups and companion pieces as described on pp. 195-196, and a japanned tray.
Location: On the tea tray at one end of the dining room table.
Documentation: The tea service is recommended in Miss Leslie's Lady's House Book. There is no known description of the tea service that Mary Lincoln had in Springfield but there are written references to her having guests for tea.

Records also show that the Lincolns purchased quantities of tea and some tinware from local Springfield merchants. Transfer printed Staffordshire or white ironstone would be appropriate for the tea service, on the basis of archeological evidence and period practice. Painted (japanned) tinware was very popular in mid-century.

Source: To be acquired (antique to match plates discussed above).


Object: D.18-19 — Glassware
Date: 1850-1860
Brief Description: Six pressed glass goblets.
Location: At each place setting on the dining room table.
Documentation: The flint pressed glass goblets in the NPS collection do not have a documented Lincoln association but they are representative of the type commonly used in mid-century households and advertised in Springfield City Directories of the 1850s. Pressed glass shards were also uncovered in the archeological excavations.
Source: LIHO 1013-1016; two to be acquired (antique).


Object: D.20-21 — Flatware
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: Coin silver flatware (LIHO 1029-1040).
Location: At each place setting as described on pp. 195-196.
Documentation: There is no known description of the flatware used by the Lincolns in Springfield, except for the documentation given on p. 101. The coin silver flatware in the NPS collection is a mid-century pattern produced by Gorham Manufacturing Company of Chicago and coin silver flatware was very popular and commonly used at the time.
Source: LIHO 1029-1040; two additional place settings to be acquired.


Object: D.22 — Cake Stand
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: A pressed glass cake stand.
Location: Sideboard.
Documentation: Period practice. Pressed glass was very popular at mid-century and it was advertised by local Springfield merchants. Pressed glass shards were also found in the archeological excavations. The pressed glass cake stand in the NPS collection supposedly belonged to Mary Lincoln; however, this association cannot be verified (see p. 103 for documentation).
Source: LIHO 255.


Object: D.23 — Castor Set
Date: 1840-1850
Brief Description: A silver plated or Brittaniaware castor set with glass condiment bottles.
Location: Sideboard. If the table is set for a festive occasion or a meal other than breakfast, the castor set should be placed on the table.
Documentation: Period practice. Castor sets were very common dining room accessories.
Source: LIHO 183-189.
DINING ROOM: ROOM D

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Last Updated: 08-Feb-2004