Main Content
Photographer Abbie Rowe examines the new concrete underpinning for the exterior walls of the White House on March 21, 1950.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA/National Park Service
A view of the south façade of the White House on May 10, 1950.
Harry S. Truman Library Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
In a snapshot believed to have been taken by Margaret Truman, Abbie Rowe (center) jostles with a group of photographers to get a picture of President Truman and his family.
National Park Service
Abbie Rowe sets up his equipment to document the progress of construction on March 3, 1950.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA/National Park Service
Abbie Rowe's self-portrait in the mirror of a sparkling new White House bathroom on March 24, 1952.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum/NARA/National Park ServiceAbout this Gallery
Abbie Rowe's photographs of the Truman renovation of the White House form a unique and invaluable visual record of one of the nation's most important architectural and engineering challenges of the time. A Virginia native, Rowe spent his career in government service and was a noted photographer for the National Capital Parks of the National Park Service.
First hired by the Bureau of Public Roads in 1930, his career took a turn when he photographed First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt riding on horseback along the Mount Vernon Highway. She wrote of the incident in her newspaper column "My Day" in 1938. Subsequently, Rowe, partially disabled by polio, appealed to the first lady for a change of job status because of his difficulty in performing heavy manual labor. He became a photographer for the National Park Service documenting public buildings and roads in and around the nation's capital before being assigned in December 1941 to photograph presidential activities.
Featuring Anita McBride, founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education and co-author of U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies
On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the thirty-seventh president of the United States. During his time in the White House (1969–74), President Nixon sought to unite a divided nation after the social, political, and cultural turbulence of the 1960s. Before becoming president, Nixon served in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as
Featuring Laurie Grace, Chairman of the James Hoban Society of Ireland; Brother Christy O’Carroll, Congregation of Christian Brothers; Ciarán O’Connor, State Architect of Ireland; Merlo Kelly, Senior Architect, Lotts Architecture & Urbanism; Brian O’Connell, Director and Founder of O’Connell Mahon Architects and a contributor to the book James Hoban: Designer and Builder of the White House
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to national attention in 1973, when President Richard Nixon nominated him as vice president. Less than a year later, Ford became president, following President Nixon's resignation from office. The Fords made and celebrated history during their time in the White House, fr
In the 1960s, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw the task of restoring the White House interiors and thus founded the White House Historical Association to enhance the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the Executive Mansion. As a part of our mission, the Association provides financial support for acquisitions, refurbishing projects, and preservation initiatives of the White House, which involves collaboration
Featuring John F.W. Rogers, Chairman of the White House Historical Association’s Board of Directors
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies, a long-standing tradition of the White House Collection. Recent presidents and first ladies typically select their respective artists before leaving the White House and approve the portraits before their formal presentation to the public and induction into the collection. The
It is hard to imagine that it was something as casual as a lunch conversation between a newly elected president and an amateur gardener that gave rise to one of our nation's most iconic outdoor spaces. In this collection, Rose Garden designer Rachel Lambert Mellon explains how the grounds were so thoughtfully transformed, while others detail the White House's diverse
During the administration of President Harry S. Truman, the White House underwent a renovation and expansion so extensive, it changed the Executive Mansion more than the fire of 1814. The White House we know today is largely due to the renovation led by Truman. The construction took place between 1948 and 1952 and was a remarkable feat of engineering. National Park Service photographer
First Lady Lou Hoover's invitation to Jessie L. DePriest to a White House tea party in 1929 created a storm of protest and indignation. This traditional act of hospitality toward the wife of the first black man elected to Congress in the twentieth century created a political crisis for the president and first lady. This collection explores the "tempest" from the
