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Since the earliest days of the presidency, hosting dignitaries and world leaders at elegant repasts has been a significant part of White House social traditions — these occasions are notable for the use of bespoke porcelain dinnerware.

“The design of the china, as well as the size of the service, provides a cultural record of the times,” Ron Devlin on The Morning Call’s website, mcall.com. More than just dishes, presidential china sets the tone for formal banquets and reflects the refinement, values and evolving customs of the nation — it is not your average crockery.

When George Washington took office in 1789, “he and early presidents after him used a mix of English and Chinese imports,” according to Hadley Keller in Architectural Digest. Am

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