In one of her last ceremonial duties as first lady of the United States, Laura Bush yesterday unveiled the George W. Bush State China Service, Magnolia Residence China Service and two new rugs at a private press viewing in the Family Dining Room of the White House.

“I hope that the next family will be happy to have these two sets, to be able to entertain their heads of state that come in, as well as for their closest family and friends,” Mrs. Bush said, referring to the Obama family, who will move into the White House on Jan. 20.

First Lady Laura Bush deserves full credit for being a gracious presence throughout her husband’s administration.

“What makes this collection so special is that it represents Mrs. Bush’s legacy,” says Amy Zantzinger, Mrs. Bush’s social secretary. “It’s very elegant and reflects the style of the period. It will become a house antiquity.” Mrs. Zantzinger cited as an example the china from Rutherford B. Hayes’s presidency, which was far more colorful and flamboyant than that of other presidential eras but “indicative of its time” in Gilded Age America.

Ironic comparison of legacies and times.