Tablescape for Black Heritage Month

Last February a friend called from the church to ask me to come over to see the exhibit she had set up for the church’s first Black History Month exhibit. Several people worked with her to set up the displays. One of the displays that caught my eye was a table setting done to represent mealtime in a poor slave’s home. I am sharing a few photos I took then.

The meal setting utilizes an old card table and two old wood chairs with cane seats. A tin cook pot, two jars of corn, a kerosene lamp and a large soup ladle added to the ambience.


The place settings consisted of dark blue tin plates and mugs she had bought from Wal-Mart. The flatware was unpolished old flatware from a friend.

When they discussed whether napkins would be in order, someone said the slaves would use whatever scarf they might be wearing. My friend looked through her stash of fabric and found some blue bandana fabric that she folded under and placed as napkins.

With a white cloth as a background, this humble table setting is quite a pleasant one.

Be sure to visit our hostess Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more Tablescape Thursday posts.

Ah-hhh…the thought came to me that this is certainly a thrifty tablescape. So I am also linking to Thrifty Thursday, hosted by Leigh at Tales From Bloggeritaville.