A meal fit for Lafayette

On June 28, 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette, war hero of the American Revolution, arrived in Montpelier at about 9:00PM. He had begun the day in Windsor at 7:00AM and made stops in Woodstock, Royalton, and Barre along the way, changing horses for his carriage every 10 miles.

Vermonters turned out to welcome him; though he had arrived several hours late, Lafayette addressed a crowd from the second-story balcony of the first Vermont State House, and watched a military parade by candlelight. He attended a banquet at a nearby hotel, which ran to sixteen toasts and many courses, and from there to the home of Willys F. Caldwell, which had been redecorated completely for the occasion. The following morning, he addressed the women of Montpelier before departing for Burlington and the next leg of his travels.

Lafayette's visit, 50 years after the Revolution, came at a time when there were few other living individuals who had experienced the birth of the nation. It signaled a changing of the guard and the solidifying of mythmaking around the revolutionary era. Accordingly, objects related to his visit were treated like relics.

This platter was used during Lafayette's dinner in Montpelier. It's a blue-and-white transfer-printed platter featuring an Asiatic design of bamboo and flowers. The central design shows a basket or vase of flowers on the proper right and a naturalistic scene of bamboo and flowers on the left. The center of the dish angles down into a well at the left, which allowed the juices to collect so the roast would not soak. This item was donated to VHS in 1933 by Lillian A. Farwell. 

The Vermont Historical Society holds 19 objects related to the visit, almost all of which are similar to the objects displayed here: their historical value is transitional. They are remembered with importance because they were in the presence of a "great man" of history.

Interest in relics has waxed and waned over the years, and collecting them is not as popular as it once was. Museums look for a greater variety of objects that tell stories beyond the headlines of history, and they look for objects with direct connections to illuminating stories. Still, relics do offer a point of connection to the past - and to a way of thinking about the past.

This item, along with a nail from the former Caldwell House, are now on display at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier.