Investigations

Lafayette China

The Case:

Hearts and arrows blaze across an unusual set of china at the Powel House in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, called "The Athens of America," was in the 1770s the most important city in the colonies.

And when in Philadelphia, Powel House was the place to be.

Elizabeth and Samuel Powel lived there, and the likes of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin socialized there.

Family legend claims the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who helped free the American colonies, gave the set to Elizabeth Willing, the popular wife of the Patriot Mayor.

The History Detectives look into the facts and fiction behind this racy 18th century gift.

Discuss this story

Aired:
Season 1, Episode 10

Detective:
Elyse Luray Detective:
Gwen Wright Location:
Powel House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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