Web Archive - White House Historical Association Press Room

Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.: Historic Photos of the Civil Rights Leader at the White House

Thursday, January 12, 2012

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

From the streets of Selma to the walls of the White House, Martin Luther King, Jr. worked tirelessly for the civil rights of African-Americans, and ultimately human rights for everyone. Enjoy this slideshow of photographs that document his influence on four presidential administrations.

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Tags: flickr, Martin Luther King, slideshow

Introducing a New Web Feature: White House Sketches

Thursday, June 30, 2011

President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron walk across the South Lawn of the White House, July 20, 2010. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.

White House Sketches is the name of a new section on our web site that features stories from the rich history of the White House. Each brief entry includes a summary of a historic event, related historic images, and links to newspaper accounts or related information. Over time, the collection of sketches will become a resource to discover the story of America as seen through the lens of the White House.

Current sketches include the story of an 1878 White House wedding, a 1917 attack on a suffragist protest outside the White House gates, and President William Taft’s silver anniversary celebration on the White House South Lawn that included more than 6,000 guests.

Upcoming sketches over the next month will feature the story of the establishment of the White House War Room, the report of a Union victory at Gettysburg, and Harry Atwood’s daring flight to land his biplane on the White House South Lawn. Check White House Sketches often for these updates and more, and follow us on Twitter to be alerted when new stories become available.

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Tags: white house sketches

Celebrating the Fourth of July at the White House

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

President and Mrs. Reagan enjoyed a picnic on the South Lawn for the fourth of July in 1981. Courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Library.

President Thomas Jefferson established the tradition of a Fourth of July celebration at the White House in 1801 by welcoming the public to the house for a reception while the Marine Band performed “The President’s March” and other “patriotic airs” in the Entrance Hall. Tables pushed against the walls of the State Dining Room were filled with bowls of punch and plates of sweets.

Presidents held these receptions until just after the Civil War when Ulysses S. Grant started a new trend by taking a summer vacation at the New Jersey seashore away from the Washington heat. Although a Fourth of July public reception is no longer held, presidents and their families continue to observe a day of patriotism at the White House in whatever manner they deem appropriate.

Learn more about the history of Independence Day celebrations at the White House, and view a slideshow of historic July 4th photographs in advance of the upcoming holiday.

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Tags: fourth of july, holidays, independence day, nancy reagan, photos, ronald reagan, thomas jefferson

New Flickr Set: Eleanor Roosevelt’s White House Portrait Presentation

Friday, February 4, 2011

In 1949, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt sat for her portrait in Douglas Chandor’s New York studio. Seventeen years later, The White House Historical Association purchased the portrait for the White House Collection. First Lady Lady Bird Johnson invited more than 250 guests to the February 4, 1966 presentation of the portrait, including friends, family and former associates of Mrs. Roosevelt.

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Tags: eleanor roosevelt, flickr, photos

New Flickr Slideshow: Reagan’s 2nd Inauguration

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Because the beginning of President Reagan’s and Vice President George H.W. Bush’s second terms, January 20, 1985, fell on a Sunday, President Reagan and Vice President Bush were sworn in for their new terms at the foot of the Grand Staircase in the Entrance Hall of the White House. The following day, intense cold caused the previously scheduled public inaugural ceremony to be moved from the West Front of the U.S. Capitol indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, while the inaugural parade was canceled. (William Howard Taft’s inaugural 76 years before had also taken place in the Capitol because of harsh weather.)

View photos of the January 20, 1985 ceremony by National Geographic Society photographer Joseph H. Bailey, and subscribe to our flickr feed for more historic image sets.

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Tags: flickr, inauguration, nancy reagan, photos, ronald reagan

WHHA is Now on Flickr!

Friday, January 7, 2011

WHHA is excited to bring you historic images of the White House through Flickr. Over the coming year, we will be sharing images taken by National Geographic photographers on assigment at the White House. Some have appeared in The White House Guidebook and The Living White House, but many have never been published before.

For our first photo set, we bring you images taken by Joseph Scherscel in winter of 1966. A late January blizzard blanketed Washington, D.C. with nearly twenty inches of snow, and Scherschel took the opportunity to catch the beauty of the White House and its snowy surroundings against a clear blue sky. View images from the 1966 blizzard, and subscribe to our flickr feed to keep up with future photo uploads.

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Tags: blizzard, flickr, photos

100 White House Collection Artworks Added to Database

Monday, December 20, 2010

Joseph Pennell, The Front of the White House by Night, c. 1881-84.

We have expanded our database at whitehouseresearch.org to include 100 more artworks from the White House fine art collection. The database now houses 300 artworks, bringing more than 60 percent of the White House fine art collection available for the public to browse, search, and view. The new additions include works by Paul Cezanne, Frederick Childe Hassam, and William James Glackens, and expands the available representations of Presidents, First Ladies, and the White House itself.

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Tags: art, white house collection