Inside the Working White House: 20th Century
"Every day is wash-day at the White House,” housekeeper Elizabeth Jaffray recalled. The three maids assigned to the laundry when Ja...
-
-
The Working White House: A Mirror - The 20th Century
Twentieth-century historical forces and social movements left their marks on the working White House. In 1900, nearly 87,000 inhabitants (almost a third...
-
Dolley Madison Purchases a Music Collection
Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison, was one of early America’s most gracious hostesses. Through Benjamin Latrobe, she purchased a...
-
Military Influence on White House Musical Performances
As the war in Europe cast its shadow over the capital’s social life, White House entertaining diminished. But one ev...
-
Musical Events at the White House
During the terms of Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), White House musical events became a major, regularly scheduled feature of the mansion’s...
-
Social Dancing at the White House
Social dancing was especially enjoyed during the terms of Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley and its popularity within the White...
-
Andrew Jackson and Music at the White House
The White House under Andrew Jackson was simpler in its customs, ambience and attitudes than it had been under Adams...
-
Out-Takes: One Photographer's White House Experience
One who grows up in Washington sees evidence of the nation’s governance firsthand. The caravans of black cars, senators br...
-
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day": Ceremonies
Ceremony and ceremonial occasions played vital roles in the Roosevelt White House. Whether presiding over state receptions, entertaining heads of...
-
Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day": Entertainment
The Roosevelts loved to entertain. During their thirteen-year stay in the White House, they used the mansion's grand setting to...
-
Memoirs of Isabella Hagner 1901-1905
The White House Historical Association has reset the following excerpt of Isabella Hagner’s typescript memoirs, now in the White Ho...
-
Under This Roof
When you join the White House staff, you enter a unique community full of surprising paradoxes. The men and women...