This photograph by Chuck Kennedy was taken at a State Dinner held in honor of President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China on January 19, 2011. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the Chinese president for an official State Visit, including an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House grounds earlier in the day. The State Dinner took place in the State Dining Room. Joining the Obamas and Hu Jintao at the central table beside the State Dining Room's fireplace were former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State (and former first lady) Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

In this photograph by Paul Morse, tables are set for a dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The dinner took place in the State Dining Room of the White House on November 10, 2005 during the George W. Bush administration. First Lady Laura Bush selected pieces of the Ronald Reagan State China Service for each table setting and decorated the tables with centerpieces of vermeil vases adorned with roses. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 that established both independent government agencies.