The White House Historical Association are partnering with the Music Division of the Library of Congress for a program on Saturday February. 9, 2013. Musicologist Dr. Elise K. Kirk and Marine Band historian Mike Ressler, who have contributed to publications and exhibitions on the history of music at the White House, are participants. The panel will discuss “Music in Lincoln’s White House” and there will also be a performance by the Marine Band.
Music in the Lincoln White House: Francis M. Scala and “The President’s Own”
Saturday, February 9, 2013
› Panel Discussion & Book-Signing, 1:00 pm – Whittall Pavilion
- Elise K. Kirk, White House Historical Association
- Christian McWhirter, Assistant Editor, The Papers of Abraham Lincoln, National Archives
- MGySgt D. Michael Ressler, Historian, “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band
- Loras John Schissel, Senior Music Specialist, Music Division, Library of Congress
Free and open to the public. No reservations required.
Presented in cooperation with the White House Historical Association
› Concert: “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, 3:00 pm – Coolidge Auditorium / “Will the leader of the Marine Band please call and see Mrs. L. today?”
Colonel Michael J. Colburn, Director
Free. Reservations required and may be obtained by contacting nbrown@loc.gov or (202) 707-5502. The Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, SE, Washington, DC 20540 Visit loc.gov/concerts for more information.
An Artist Visits the White House Past
Paintings by Peter Waddell
White House Visitor Center
1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W Washington, D.C.
March 23, 2011–June 3, 2012
Open 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Peter Waddell, The Grand Illumination, oil on canvas, 55″ x 73″.
From its construction in 1792, until the 1902 renovation that shaped the modern identity and functions of the interior of the White House, the fourteen paintings of this exhibit examine the history of a national icon. Through meticulous research and tireless attention to detail, numerous sources inspired the brush of Peter Waddell to create a vision of the White House as it was, and to gain an appreciation of the nineteenth-century house and the men and women who lived and worked within its walls.
Something of Splendor
Decorative Arts from the White House
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
1661 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C.
October 1, 2011–May 6, 2012
White House Collection 1817 plateau in the White House State Dining Room. Part of the plateau is on view in the Something of Splendor exhibit.
This exhibition allows visitors to explore the history of the decorative arts in the nation’s foremost home. It includes 95 objects—furniture, ceramics, metals, glass and textiles—from the permanent collection of the White House. Many of these objects were made by the most celebrated craftsmen of their time, and some have never been seen outside of the White House. Objects in the exhibition range from a box lined with wallpaper used in the White House prior to its burning in 1814 to a gilded Herter Brothers armchair from 1875 to a coverlet embroidered by First Lady Grace Coolidge between 1925 and 1927 to a service plate from the 1982 Reagan state china.
The exhibition and its related publication include archival prints and photographs of the interiors to help the visitor envision life in the President’s official residence. William G. Allman, curator of the White House, and Melissa C. Naulin, assistant curator of the White House, selected the works included in the exhibition.
The Working White House
200 Years of Tradition and Memories
Museum of History and Art, Ontario, CA
December 21, 2011–February 26, 2012
View the full tour itenerary
Dolly Johnson, President Harrison’s cook, in the family kitchen, c. 1891-93. Library of Congress.
“Perhaps the most important advantage of working in the White House was that I acquired a sense of America’s destiny.” That’s how Alonzo Fields summarized his more than two decades as chief butler and maitre d’ at the White House. Since the early 1800s, thousands of doormen, maids, engineers, housemen, chefs, electricians, florists, carpenters, and plumbers have worked behind the scenes to make the Executive Mansion function.
Two centuries of stories and traditions are preserved in The Working White House: 200 Years of Tradition and Memories, an exhibition developed with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Archival and contemporary images, videos, as well as fascinating oral histories of workers who have served presidents from William Taft through George W. Bush convey the occupational culture of this private yet public place.
View The Working White House online exhibit.
The White House: The President’s Home in Photographs and History
Lecture and Book Signing with Author Vicki Goldberg
National Archives Special Events Entrance, 7th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C.
Wednesday December 14 at noon
Free and open to the public
From John Adams’s day to the present, the allure of the most famous home in America endures. Photography columnist Vicki Goldberg presents a fascinating visual compendium of more than 250 photographs on the White House, its residents, their pets, and famous visitors, from the dawn of photography up to the Obama administration. The White House offers a rich visual history covering every aspect of White House life over the past 200 years. This program is presented in partnership with the National Archives and Records Administration. A book signing will follow the program.
To order an advance copy of The White House, visit our shop.
A Sweet World of White House Desserts
Book Signing with Roland Mesnier
November 2: National Center for White House History. 1610 H Street NW. Washington, D.C.
November 13–22: George Washington’s Mount Vernon, gift shop. Mount Vernon, VA.
November 15: National Press Club. Washington, D.C.
Roland Mesnier served as pastry chef to five presidents. In this memoir he recalls the stunning desserts he created for White House State Dinners, formal events, and family celebrations. the famous gingerbread White House, a frequent State Dining room holiday showcase, grew out of the simple models he crafted for the first family’s Christmas festivities. Together with his blown-sugar confections and molded chocolate sculptures, they are a unique chapter in the history of dining in the President’s House. Full color photographs illustrating these one-of-a-kind creations are accompanied by Chef Mesnier’s stories of the people and places that inspired them.
First Families and Their Pets at the White House
Speaker Series: Dr. William Bushong, Historian, White House Historical Association
Monday, November 7, 2011 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Washington Animal Rescue League
71 Oglethorpe Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Families taking up residence at the White House encounter an insatiable appetite for stories of everyday life. It is a hazard that presidential pets face and accept as it comes with their role as the companions of distinguished masters. Providing companionship to the president and his family or humanizing the president’s political image, White House pets usually do the job well. A love of animals reflected a reverence for all forms of life and bonds the president and his family with the public. With the rise of the mass media and the increasing international importance of the American presidency, White House pets often came into the spotlight. This illustrated presentation romps through more than 200 years of pet-keeping at the White House. RSVP
Vegetarian hors d’oeuvres • Free parking
Book Signing
The White House: An Historic Guide, 50th Anniversary Edition
Join us on Monday, April 25th for a book signing of the 50th anniversary edition of The White House: An Historic Guide, published by the White House Historical Association. Meet the authors, Betty Monkman and William G. Allman, and Principal Photographer, Bruce White, and special guest President Thomas Jefferson (portrayed by Bill Barker) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the White House Visitor Center.
Monday, April 25, 2011
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
White House Visitor Center
1450 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Guides can be purchased for $15.95
246 pages, 238 illustrations
Since 1962, the celebrated spaces and rich history of the President’s House have been portrayed for the public in this continually updated guidebook. This special new edition celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the book’s release with a new design, updated text, and new photography. The Kitchen and Press Room are among the new chapters and highlights of this edition. The State Floor and public rooms of the Ground Floor, Second Floor, and West Wing are presented with richly illustrated historical text. For the first time, the guide also offers a walking tour of the exterior, with a key to its architectural elements and grounds. Now visitors viewing the White House from the streets of Washington, D.C.—and armchair tourists at home—can experience an intimate tour of the house.
The White House Garden
December 4, 2010 - January 30, 2010, William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Canton, OH
Horticulturalist Charles Lee Patton, c. 1923. Library of Congress.
If the White House is the “People’s House,” then its gardens are truly America’s gardens. From Easter egg rolls and ceremonies honoring fellow citizens, to treaty signings and receptions for heads of state, the gardens and grounds surrounding the White House bear the mark of history. This spectacular 18-acre ensemble of formal gardens, secluded natural retreats, and expansive parkland has been shaped by America’s presidents and first ladies, some of the nation’s best-known landscape designers and architects, and generations of dedicated gardeners and horticulturists.
Organized with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, The White House Garden traces the development of the gardens and grounds from the plans of Pierre Charles L’Enfant to the present. Reproductions of archival materials and historic and contemporary photographs from the National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress, and other sources focus on the presidents and their families, White House gardeners, special gardens, the grounds’ magnificent trees, and planting plans.