Punch Set

During William McKinley’s first term as president, Libbey craftsmen cut two identical punch bowl sets to safeguard the delivery of an undamaged set to the White House for Christmas 1898. At the time, it was the largest cut-glass punch bowl ever made—it took two expert cutters several weeks to execute the design of stars, stripes, and shields. The original shipment arrived safely, but its whereabouts are now unknown. This twin was held in storage in Toledo and later displayed at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exhibition at the St. Louis World’s Fair.