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Fine Art

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Art in the White House

The collection of fine art at the White House has evolved and grown over time. The collection began with mostly presidential portraits, commissioned or purchased by Congress, or donated by presidential descendants. In the era before photography, some presidents invited painters to set up studios in the White House to record significant events and paint their likeness. In the late

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Patricia Nixon's Visitor Friendly White House

Not long after she became First Lady, Pat Nixon was asked what she planned to focus on in her new role. Her response was simple: “People are my project.”1Mrs. Nixon did not want to be constrained by selecting one specific project. Instead, she wanted the latitude to pursue various projects that directly helped people.As First Lady, Mrs. Nixon trav

Article

President Eisenhower: The Painter

The only true response to art is to look with an eye like that of a child: unprejudiced, unbiased, clear, and uncommitted. When it is the art of a celebrity, this ideal, always almost unobtainable, becomes progressively difficult. Can we see the work in the dazzle of the artist’s aura? When the paintings of Noel Coward come to auction, th

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Sculpture, Bribery, and the Founding Fathers

During his short time in America, Italian neoclassical sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi created approximately thirty-six marble busts of prominent men including Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, earning him a place as one of the most prolific sculptors in early American history. In particular he is known for a neoclassical bust of George Washington, currently part of the

Educational Resource

Furnishings of the White House

The historic furnishings in the White House provide a glimpse into the ways that first families have lived and worked for over 200 years. These desks, chairs, and other items allow the Executive Mansion to serve as both the home and the office of the president. Each piece of furniture has a history of its own. While furniture has come and

Educational Resource

White House China

Many large formal events at the White House include meals served on official china. These plates, cups, and bowls function both as dinnerware and decorative arts. For two hundred years, different presidents have ordered china to suit their tastes and accommodate an increasing number of guests who dine at the Executive Mansion. Today, the White House has a room on

Article

The White House Collection: The Beaux Arts Furnishing of 1902

One of the principal goals that governed the architectural changes made to the White House in 1902 by McKim, Mead & White—to refurnish the interior of the building in harmony with its exterior architecture—was adhered to in furnishing the State Rooms. The eclecticism of the variety of forms and styles of furniture and other decorative objects designed and made for