Podcast
The History of Wine and the White House
Featuring Frederick J. Ryan, author of “Wine and the White House: A History" and member of the White House Historical Association’s National Council on White House History
Presidential Inaugural Balls
Gallery
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The building for President James Buchanan's inaugural ball in March 1857, was a temporary structure erected on Judiciary Square. The reported cost of the building was $15,000, and it boasted two rooms: one for dancing and one for eating.
Library of Congress -
The "superb costumes of distinguished ladies present" at President Abraham Lincoln's inauguration ball were illustrated in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on March 23, 1861.
Library of Congress -
On March 20, 1869, President Grant held his first inaugural ball in the Cash Room of the north wing of the Treasury Department. In an attempt to ease overcrowding at his second inaugural ball, a temporary structure was erected on Judiciary Square. Though large enough to accommodate the crowds, no provisions were made for heating, and women spent the evening wearing their wraps while men kept on their coats and hats. The Cash Room, shown here has been restored to exactly this appearance.
Library of Congress -
On March 4, 1881, James A. Garfield became the first president to hold and inaugural celebration in a Smithsonian building. Garfield's ball was the first event held in the new Arts and Industries Building, today known as the National Museum Building. The building was still incomplete, and temporary wooden floors were installed expressly for the ball. The decorations included the initials of James A. Garfield and Vice President Chester A. Arthur, seen on the back wall, and a statue seen under the archway titled "The Statue of America," which boasted an electric torch. The electric light, still a novelty to most people in 1881, fascinated the merrymakers.
Smithsonian Institution Archives -
This engraving depicts guests dancing at President Benjamin Harrison's 1889 inaugural ball, which was held in the Pension Building, now the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The balconies are decorated with flags and the columns are wrapped in garlands and decorated with shields bearing the American flag.
Library of Congress -
The interior view of the Pension Building, the location of President McKinley's first inaugural ball on March 4, 1897.
Library of Congress -
A special dining room was reserved in the Pension Building for President McKinley and his party in 1901. Without a private room, the sheet number of people wishing to greet the new president would have made eating a meal impossible.
Library of Congress -
Elaborate decorations adorned the columns, balconies, and fountain of the Pension Building for President McKinley's second inaugural ball in 1901. Elaborate schematic drawings were executed to plan all details of the decorations, and a special subcommittee of the main Presidential Inaugural Committee focused all of its energies on inaugural ball decorations.
Library of Congress -
The interior view of the Washington Auditorium at 19th Street and New York Avenue shows a large crowd at President Herbert Hoover's inaugural ball on March 4, 1929. The growing popularity of celebratory events surrounding the inaugural and the presidency itself necessitated multiple balls around the city to accommodate the crowds.
Library of Congress -
President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter wished to appear approachable to the American people. Earlier that day after taking that oath of office, President Carter and his family walked down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House instead of being driven, as was the precedent. At his inauguration ball in 1977, he and Mrs. Carter greeted guests and danced among the crowds.
Library of Congress -
In this photograph taken in 1985, President Ronald Reagan and his wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan, pose and wave to guests during one of their inaugural balls. The couple were celebrating the President's second inauguration.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
In 1989 President George Bush dances with his wife Barbara at one of his eleven inaugural balls.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA -
President George W. Bush and Laura Bush dance at his inaugural ball on January 20, 2001.
White House Historical Association
About this Gallery
Three key features characterize nearly every presidential inauguration: the oath of office taken by the president at the Capitol, the inaugural parade, and the inaugural ball. Yet Article II, section 1, of the United States Constitution requires only the first mere 35-word pledge. Although no further instructions were left for subsequent events, celebration has always been an inseparable element. Initially, local committees of District of Columbia citizens organized the celebrations surrounding the inauguration. As the events grew larger, more official, and more elaborate, so did the committees organizing them.
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