Collection The Ford White House 1974 - 1977
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to...
Main Content
The abundance of fine artists who performed during the Theodore Roosevelt era continued to appear during succeeding administrations, and President and Mrs. William Howard Taft and the Woodrow Wilsons molded the popular White House musicale into a well-established tradition. Beginning with the Roosevelts and continuing through the Eisenhowers, Steinway & Sons assisted the First Lady with the selection of the artists and helped with their travel and hotel arrangements. Helen Taft was a fine amateur pianist, who practiced almost every day on her Baldwin piano, which was trimmed in gold to match motifs in the Blue Room (called "Mrs. Taft’s Music Room"), where it stood. While Mrs. Taft preferred concert pianists, President Taft’s tastes in music are illustrated in the Tin Pan Alley songs and arias from Puccini’s La Boheme coming from his graphanola at this time. President Wilson, too, enjoyed a novel "performer" in the White House–his Victrola, a new American "voice" that entertained him in the evenings as he and Edith Wilson relaxed by the fire.
Landmark Era Performance - 1916:
The celebrated Australian pianist and composer Percy Grainger played
several of his compositions for Woodrow Wilson and his family on March
28.
The celebrated Australian pianist and composer Percy Grainger played for the Wilsons in 1916.
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
Bartlett Sher is a Tony Award-winning director who has brought thoughtful, powerful productions to theaters, opera houses, and film. He...
Over 200 years ago, James Hoban left Ireland for America to pursue his dream of becoming an architect. Selected by President...
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies,...
From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First...
A State Dinner honoring a visiting head of government or reigning monarch is one of the grandest and most glamorous...
A donation from the Recording Industry Association of America to the Nixon White House, the White House Recording Library was...
In 1821-1822, Susan Decatur requested the construction of a service wing. The first floor featured a large kitchen, dining room,...
Native Americans hold a significant place in White House history. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples, including the Nacotchtank and...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in for the first of his four terms as president of the United States....