Landing of General Lafayette at Castle Garden punch bowl

This 22-gallon punch bowl was once believed to have held libations served to the Marquis de Lafayette and other guests at the banquet given in his honor at Castle Garden during his 1824-1825 tour of the United States. The painted scene is based on an engraving published after Lafayette's arrival, however, and depicts architectural features not added to the entertainment hall until years later. Owned by the Heiser family, proprietors of Castle Garden between 1843 and 1852, the bowl may have been used to promote the establishment.