Collection Presidential and First Lady Portraits
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies,...
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The State Floor of the White House during Thomas Jefferson's presidency, drawn by architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
Library of CongressA computer-generated image of the Polk Red Room looking south from the doorway of the Cross Hall.
David Ramsey/White House Historical AssociationA computer-generated image of the Polk Red Room looking southwest.
David Ramsey/White House Historical AssociationA black and white photograph taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston during the Chester A. Arthur administration. The room was redecorated by acclaimed New York designer Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1882.
Library of CongressThe Red Room after the 1902 redecoration by McKim, Meade & White, ca. 1904.
Library of CongressThe Red Room during the Harry S. Truman administration, ca. 1948.
Library of CongressThe Red Room after the 1962 redecoration by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARAThe Red Room during the Ronald Reagan administration in 1987.
White House Historical AssociationThe Red Room during the Barack Obama Administration in 2010.
White House Historical AssociationAbout this Gallery
Today’s State Floor of the White House has rooms designated by color (Green, Blue, and Red), purpose (State Dining Room and Family Dining Room), and directional orientation (East Room), but this was not always so. During the early administrations, each president used the rooms of the State Floor differently. The “Red Room” first appeared during the presidency of James K. Polk. As future administrations entered the Executive Mansion in the twentieth century, the walls of the “Red Room” represented a rich, crimson tradition for the space
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies,...
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the arts endures as a vital part of th...
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed...
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the gastronomical delights. The elegance of the State Dining...
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the performing arts endures as a vital part of...
Historians of American music, art, and dance often explore their subjects through different topical categories such as genres, schools, and...
“It is of very great importance to fix the taste of our Country properly, and I think your Example will go...
For over 75 years, George Peter Alexander Healy’s portrait of Abraham Lincoln has remained an important aesthetic element for the Wh...
On March 27, 1952, President and Mrs. Truman returned to a freshly renovated White House after living at Blair House since November 1948....
One of the principal goals that governed the architectural changes made to the White House in 1902 by McKim, Mead &...
The first known image of the White House was a daguerreotype taken in 1846, during the administration of President James K....
Historians have previously discussed the wider impact of technological innovations that facilitated the emergence of the illustrated press in the...