Creator
La Pierre House
Title
Historical Society of Pennsylvania Banquet
Coverage
Philadelphia
Date
November 8, 1854
Description
This extensive menu, printed by lithographer Eugene Ketterlinus for the 172nd anniversary celebration of the landing of William Penn, represented a lofty achievement in the American printing and culinary arts. Among the dozen game dishes are two of the country’s greatest delicacies—canvasback duck and diamondback terrapin, a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the eastern and southern United States. In the Philadelphia style, the stewed terrapin was garnished with terrapin eggs. The tables at this banquet were adorned with nine decorative confectionery sculptures, featuring names like “Cleopatra’s Palace,” “Russian Cathedral,” and “Genius of America, Protecting the World.”