Jackie Kennedy's Inaugural Gown, 1961

Worn by Jacqueline Kennedy to the Inaugural Balls in 1961, this sleeveless, off-white gown features a silk sheer top covering a strapless bodice that is encrusted with “brilliants” and embroidered with silver thread. Mrs. Kennedy collaborated with Frankau in the creation of this gown by offering suggestions on the sketches. Mrs. Kennedy’s look was finished off with a matching cape that closed at the neck and elbow-length gloves. This ensemble was well-received in the press and helped solidify Mrs. Kennedy’s place as a fashion icon of the decade.

Date of Work: 1961
Credit: National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Mrs. John F. Kennedy

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Glamour and Innovation: The Women Behind the Seams of Fashion at the White House

“Anthony Michael Matise.” Times Herald-Record online. June 2, 2011. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:RX3sxoIxZ4cJ:https://www.recordonline.com/article/20110603/NEWS0301/306039992%3Ftemplate%3Dampart+&cd=33&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us. Davis, Nancy and Amelia Grabowski. “Sewing for Joy: Ann Lowe.” National Museum of American History. March 12, 2018. https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/lowe. “Ethel Frankau, 85, a Director
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The First Ladies: Fifty Years of Fashion and Style, 1960-2010

Read Digital Version Foreword: Beyond the Sparkle by Marcia Mallet AndersonJean Louis Mazéas Hairstylist to First Ladies and White House Brides by Lauren McGwinSeduced by Style: Lady Bird Johnson's White House Fashion by Kimberly Chrisman-CampbellFrom Hollywood to the White House Nancy Reagan's Style: Her Lasting Collaboration with James Galanos by Rebecca Durgin KerrThe Silver Fox: Barbara Bush and Her S
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Something Old, Something New: Eight First Daughters’ Fashionable White House Weddings

“Backstage at a White House Wedding: Behind the Main Event.” Life Magazine, June 18, 1971: 40-49. Google Books. “Beene Speaks Out on that Wedding Dress.” Women’s Wear Daily, Dec 07, 1967: 1, 36. ProQuest Central.“Brilliant Wedding at the White House.” The Baltimore Sun. February 18, 1906. 1-2.Chrisman-Campbell, Kimberly. The Way We Wed: A Global History of Wedding Fashion. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2020.“Correspondence of the Baltimore Sun, Washington
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Mid-Century Fashion and the First Ladies: From Ready-to-Wear to Haute Couture

Read Digital VersionForeword, William SealeThe Style of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: Fashion and Frugality in Times of Depression and War, Morgan BlattenbergThe Mamie Look: The Americanness of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower’s Off-the-Rack Fashions, Kristen A. HunterThe Jackie Look: Oleg Cassini and the Creation of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s Signature Style, Haley M. RiveroTeardrops of the Moon: Memories of Desi
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Fashion

Read Digital EditionForeword, William SealePresidential Valets: Confidantes of the Wardrobe, Sam ChildersFashion and Frugality: First Lady Sarah Polk, Conover HuntFrances Folsom Cleveland's White House Wardrobe, Annette M. DunlapWoodrow and Edith Wilson: Costumed for the World Stage, Elaine M. GibbsDressing Down for the Presidency: Thomas Jefferson's Republican Simplicity, Gaye WilsonOutfitting Jefferson Today: Bill Barker at Colonial WilliamsburgLivery at the White House:
Digital Library Exhibit
Glamour and Innovation: The Women Behind the Seams of Fashion at the White House

Glamour and Innovation: The Women Behind the Seams of Fashion at the White House looks behind the seams to highlight the storied careers of eight women; independent and lesser-known designers, seamstresses, and groundbreaking couturiers whose vision informed a century of fashion in the White House. This exhibit was curated by Maegan Jenkins, the inaugural Digital Exhibits Intern and MA/MS
Digital Library Exhibit
Something Old, Something New: Eight First Daughters’ Fashionable White House Weddings

Something Old, Something New: Eight First Daughters’ Fashionable White House Weddings highlights the glamorous weddings of eight women who took their vows at the White House over two centuries and how their bridal fashion reflects both the taste of each era and their own personal styles. This exhibit was curated by Jillian Staricka, the 2023 Digital Exhibits Intern and MA student in
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Weddings and the White House

From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden on the South Lawn in November 2022, the White House has long been the site of wedding ceremonies and receptions. In over two hundred years, there have been nineteen documented weddings and four receptions hosted
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Giving Thanks at the White House

Thanksgiving is a relatively quiet and personal holiday at the White House, as it precedes a very busy season of public events in December. With the exception of the annual turkey pardon, the First Family celebrates with friends and family in the same fashion as households across the country. Setting aside a day to give thanks and reflect was the
Collection
The President's Neighborhood

Since the White House was first occupied by President John Adams in 1800, influential people and organizations—or those who hoped to have influence—have bought property and built homes and offices along the streets surrounding the White House. For more than two centuries, this neighborhood has been the setting for political decision-making and diplomacy, social gatherings and protests, wartime expediencies and
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White House History Table of Contents

NUMBERS 1 THROUGH 6 (COLLECTION I) WHITE HOUSE HISTORY • NUMBER 1 1 — Foreword by Melvin M. Payne 5 — President Kennedy’s Rose Garden by Rachel Lambert Mellon 13 — White House Album: History in the Camera’s Eye by Oliver Jensen 23 — The Association’s Twentieth Year by Nash Castro 29 — History in White House Silver by Joseph D. Carr 39 — Stone Walls Preserved by James I. McDaniel 46 — A Colored Man’s Reminiscences of
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About Our Authors

JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is the Executive Director of the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, Delaware. His publications include JANSEN, JANSEN Furniture, and Baltimore’s Billy Baldwin. He is the co-author of Designing Camelot. (WHH #60) WILLIAM ADAIR is a frame historian, conservator, and gilder in Washington, D.C. (WHH #54) MATTHEW ALGEO is a writer and journalist. He is the author of se