North Front of the White House, c. 1860. The statue of Jefferson by French sculptor Pierre Jean David d’ Angers was set up before the White House in 1848 on orders from President James K. Polk, who saw a parallel between himself and the earlier expansionist. The statue stood in the center of the lawn, which was cut and rolled and seasonally decorated with flower beds. Cut off from the driveway by a fence, this small garden was open to the public every day. This statue of Jefferson was moved to the Capitol building in 1873.