White House China Dessert Plate

Mary's February 5, 1862, ball was called “Mary Lincoln’s Grand Gala Levee,” and the event gave guests the first look at her newly renovated East Room. In an attempt to make herself not just the First Lady but the Queen of Washington Society, Mary Lincoln provided an elaborate dinner that included oysters, shrimp, ham, and turkey along with spun-sugar models of Fort Pickens and the Ship of State. Guests reported that Mary Lincoln possessed the same beauty as the Empress of France; however, she was also chastised for entertaining so grandly during wartime.