fordlibrarymuseum: President and Mrs. Ford began their 1975 ten-day visit of Eastern Europe in Germa

fordlibrarymuseum:

President and Mrs. Ford began their 1975 ten-day visit of Eastern Europe in Germany. President and Mrs. Walter Scheel of Germany greeted them at the Villa Hammerschmidt on July 27, 1975, and Mrs. Scheel presented this gift to the Fords.

This white china plate features gold etched edges and open lattice work around the rim. The center of the plate displays a hand-painted fruit design with four smaller fruits surrounding it. This elegant gift is housed in its original box.    

While Betty Ford utilized her time as First Lady to fight for women’s equality and the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, German First Lady Mildred Scheel used her public role to advocate the fight on cancer. She raised awareness on different types of cancers, collected donations, and created the German Cancer Aid. Long-time friend Andy Warhol even created one of his signature silk-screen portraits of her to raise funds for her organization. Both women went above and beyond in their roles as First Ladies and made lasting public health and social impacts on their countries.

Image: German First Lady Mildred Scheel greets Betty Ford outside of the Villa Hammerschmidt in Bonn, Germany, prior to a luncheon on July 27, 1975 (A5911-26).