Now on display in the Visitor Center is the exhibit “Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection.”  In the tall case are featured coffee pots, pitchers, and tumblers.  Specialized pieces for gracefully serving fish, toast, cheese, bone marrow and even the South American drink, yerba mate. Silver is both beautiful and practical once combined with just enough of another metal alloy to increase its durability.  It made possible the creation of items like: a table crumber of intricate design, a ruler bedecked with flowers, and even a frame with Art Nouveau styled poppies.  Also included, is a well-worn silver-plated spoon that is no longer symmetrical.  We can only wonder if it was used by a cook to scrape the bottom of a cooking pan, or was used as everyday favorite, sparing the sterling pieces from ware. Also on display are two examples of 20^th century place settings. Viewers can appreciate the ornate style of the repoussé “Baltimore Rose” pattern by the Heer-Schofield Co. and contrast it against the elegant colonial-revival simplicity of the “Mary Chilton” pattern by Towle Manufacturing Co.  

Did you know society has not always associated the color pink with femininity? In 1918, the clothing company Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department rules that pink favors boys, because it descends from the strong and aggressive symbolism of red. As time progresses, however, color assignment lacks unanimity, with different regions advertising pink for both girls and boys.

Thus, pink would have been a suitable choice for the fashion-conscious McFaddin women, and perhaps we can view their extensive collection of pink as a reminder to their strong will and leadership. As refined hostesses, avid civil servants, and socially active women of the 20^th century, Mamie and her mother, Ida, acquired an array of mementos that proved functional and pretty in pink.

The new display in the Visitor Center features pink objects from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection, hailing from countries like Italy, England, France, and China.  Catch a glimpse of the charm and regality of the McFaddin women through Summer 2019.

Since ancient times, coffee was said to have healing properties. After-dinner coffee was thought to assist digestion, enhance endurance, and act as an antidote for inebriation.

The Middle Eastern custom of drinking very hot, black coffee in small cups traveled to Europe along with the beverage, in the 17^th century. It was the French, in the 1800s, who originated the demitasse and turned after-dinner coffee drinking into an art. Demitasse means “half-cup.” The cups are, typically, half the size of a regular coffee cup, holding two to three ounces of beverage. The smaller size facilitates the drinking of strong, after-dinner, specialty coffees, such as espresso, cappuccino and Turkish coffee. Tea may be served in demitasse cups, but they are really meant for coffee.

Certain rules of etiquette are followed for after-dinner demitasse serving and drinking. The coffee is strong and always served black. Cream is not offered and should not be requested. Sugar, however, is permissible. Demitasse cups are always used. These are placed on a matching saucer and accompanied by a demitasse spoon. Only one cup of coffee is served, and it is not polite to ask for a second.

The coffee can be served to guests several ways. Cups can be brought in, unfilled, by a butler. A second butler brings the coffeepot. Each guest is offered a cup, which is then filled. The coffee can also be poured in the kitchen or butler’s pantry and served to guests on a tray by a butler. A less formal way of serving is to have the butler place the coffee and cups on a tray. This is then placed on a coffee table in front of the hostess. She pours the coffee, and the butler takes each cup to a guest. On occasion, a liqueur can be offered with the coffee or after the coffee has been taken.

By the 20^th century, any woman who entertained, formally or informally, would have owned demitasse sets and served after-dinner coffee. Ida Caldwell McFaddin and Mamie McFaddin Ward owned numerous demitasse sets and spoons. The sets in our collection contain from four to twenty-four cups and saucers each. There are a few individual cups, suggesting a special find on a shopping trip or perhaps a souvenir purchased on a vacation, or a gift given by a friend. Although the sets are in very good condition, they do show the wear expected from frequent use.

The exhibit, currently on view at the McFaddin-Ward visitor center, features twenty demitasse cups, sixteen matching saucers and eleven spoons. The variety of patterns and styles would certainly have assured Ida and Mamie of having just the right demitasse for any occasion.

[share title=”love it, share it!” socials=”facebook, twitter, google, pinterest, bookmark” ]