These plates are decorated with native birds, animals, and plants representing habitats across the United States. They were designed for the White House during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893). Guided by watercolor images of American flora and fauna by artist-illustrator Theodore Davis, French ceramicists painted and gilt each piece by hand. Produced just after the American Civil War (1861-1865), Davis's representation of both northern and southern species symbolically united the recently divided nation on the President's dining table and through rare copies, such as most of these examples, made for private households. Among the 12 designs for the fish course was the smelt, "a choice breakfast fish", according to the artist's text that accompanied the presidential service.