Title: Oil Portrait of James A. Garfield

Description: President James Garfield only served 186 days in office before dying of an assassin’s bullet lodged close to his spine. A seasoned politician, Garfield tried to regain executive power lost to Congress in Reconstruction. Proposed renovations of the State Rooms of the White House, under the guidance of the Librarian of Congress A. R. Spofford, never materialized because of President Garfield’s brief tenure. Spofford was hired to research the historic decoration of the White House.

Date: 1881

Creator: Calvin Curtis

Credit: White House Historical Association (White House Collection)