Popularized in the 19th century alongside expanding industrial ceramics manufacturing, commemorative plates emerged as souvenirs celebrating travel or important events connected to well-known figures. This plate is by Carrie Mae Weems, an artist known for work in photography. Weems collaborated with American manufacturer Lenox—known for producing tableware for the White House, U.S. embassies, and governors’ mansions—to acknowledge moments in Black history. Here she celebrates Blues and Jazz, which originated in Black culture; revered Black jazz musician Thelonious Monk; and collard greens, a comforting soul-food staple that also intersects with the history of slavery. For Weems, her plates highlight how adoration is complex and contingent.

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