Decanters, Water Bottle, and Wineglasses

This glassware set was created by Bakewell, Page & Bakewell of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The set, which features two decanters, a water bottle, and a wine glass, may have formed part of a service that President Andrew Jackson ordered for the White House as early as 1829. Each piece is etched with grapes and grapevines, as well as a design inspired by the Great Seal, with an eagle standing atop a shield holding arrows and an olive branch, although the shield in this design contains stars in the chief which are not present in either the Great Seal or the presidential arms. The patterned service purportedly remained in use until President Franklin Pierce bought a new service in 1853, though scholarship contends the service may have been made as recently as the early 1850s.