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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A State dinner for the British High Joint Commissioners in 1871 illustrated by Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper.
White House Collection/White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room in the 1870s after the installation of gas chandeliers.
National Archives and Records AdministrationA state dinner during the Grover Cleveland administration for diplomats in 1889 showing the long table, the splendor of the decorations, illuminated by gas chandeliers that seated sixty at the time.
White House Collection/White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room was enlarged in 1902 and redesigned with oak paneling, animal heads, and tapestries that evoked a stately English home.
Library of Congress The State Dining Room in 1948 still reflected the 1902 Roosevelt renovation.
White House CollectionState Dining Room redecorated after the Truman Renovation as it appeared set up in 1960 for a dinner for the King and Queen of Denmark.
National Geographic SocietyThe State Dining Room in 1962 after the Kennedy redecoration.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room in 1991.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment during the William J. Clinton administration, 2000.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room in 2001.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
The White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationThe State Dining Room after refurbishment in 2015.
White House Historical AssociationAbout this Gallery
The State Dining Room, which seats as many as 140 guests, was originally much smaller and served at various times as a drawing room, office, and Cabinet Room. Not until the middle of the nineteenth century was it referred to as the “State Dining Room,” although previous presidents had used it for formal dinners. Today’s State Dining Room incorporates the space that President Thomas Jefferson used as a private office. The State Dining Room has been refurbished many times in its history, often with new rugs, draperies, and upholstery fabric. The White House completed the most recent refurbishment of the State Dining Room in 2015.
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies,...
A State Dinner honoring a visiting head of government or reigning monarch is one of the grandest and most glamorous...
For more than two hundred years, France and the United States have enjoyed a relationship unparalleled in world history. From...
In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy resolved to make the White House a “living museum” by restoring the historic integrity of the...
The White House has hosted many important heads of state over the years. Typically, the president and first lady join...
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the gastronomical delights. The elegance of the State Dining...
Geography, history, and friendship have been the driving force of ties between the United States and Canada. In 1927, official rapport...
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the arts endures as a vital part of th...
The holiday season at the White House is celebrated with an abundance of glittering décor, decadent desserts, and fresh p...
Long before the emergence of the United States and Italy as modern nation states were influenced by classical writers, philosophers,...
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed...
The White House Historical Association (WHHA) offers many different resources for students working on National History Day projects.