Overview

A Material Record of History

George Washington
Plate
c. 1780
Porcelain
Chinese, for export to the American Market
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Gift of Robert L. McNeil, Jr., 2006
Photograph by Will Brown

 

 

This exhibition features a selection of fifty highlights from the McNeil Collection of American Presidential China, a gift of more than 450 wares that is the finest such collection outside the White House. This marks its first time on public view in twenty-five years.

Particularly strong in china from the early Presidential administrations, the collection provides a material record of the social and cultural history of the United States from its beginnings as a nation. Featuring objects designed for and used by Presidents from George Washington to Ronald Reagan, the McNeil collection offers a unique glimpse at the evolution of the taste, style, and aspirations of the United States.

Curator

Location