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Composition in Red and Gold by Peter Waddell

Composition in Red and Gold by Peter Waddell

Artist
Peter Waddell
Medium
Oil
Type
Historical Depiction
Credit
The White House Historical Association

Composition in Red and Gold by Peter Waddell

The Red Room. Peter Waddell, Composition in Red and Gold, oil on canvas, 36 x 48.

President Chester A. Arthur, from New York City, was the beau ideal of fashion and, on entering the White House, called on his friend the artist Louis Comfort Tiffany to redecorate the Executive Residence. The most dramatic feature of the Red Room was the ceiling, covered in an intricate design of gold and bronze stars. As a widower, Arthur called on his sister Mary Arthur McElroy to fill the role of official hostess. The willful little dog named Tot, a Scottie, belonged to President Arthurs 12-year-old daughter Nellie.

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