Something Old, Something New: Alice Roosevelt

Something Old, Something New: Eight First Daughters’ Fashionable White House Weddings highlights the glamorous weddings of eight women who took their vows at the White House over two centuries and how their bridal fashion reflects both the taste of each era and their own personal styles. This exhibit was curated by Jillian Staricka, the 2023 Digital Exhibits Intern and MA student in Costume Studies at New York University.

Alice Roosevelt

Married to Nicholas Longworth on February 17, 1906

At noon on February 17, 1906, Alice Roosevelt married Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio. The next morning, The Washington Post provided front-page coverage of the fabulous social event. The ceremony, held in the glittering East Room, was packed with Washington’s beau monde. It was reported that “the United States had given to one of its best sons its very best daughter…really the daughter of the President of the greatest country known to contemporary history, but in love and affectionate regard nonetheless the daughter of all of the American people.” The first first daughter with true photographic portraits of her wedding ensemble, Alice met fashion expectations with her glamorous Edwardian-inspired silhouette. Heavy white satin, antique point lace from her mother Alice Lee’s own wedding gown, a brocaded court train, and orange blossoms embellished the dress. In her autobiography, Alice recalled her sense of calm when getting dressed that day, when even after “seeing the crowd already gathered outside the White House grounds, even a few guests arriving,” she “had not yet started to dress.” Alice’s outspoken personality and outgoing nature while growing up in the White House naturally captured the nation’s attention, and her wedding would not be forgotten in Washington for years to come.

Gallery

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President Theodore Roosevelt and Daughter Alice Descend Grand Stairway

Date: February 17, 1906

Creator: New York Journal-American

Medium: Illustration

This illustration of President Theodore Roosevelt escorting Alice down the main staircase to the State Floor for the East Room ceremony was tinted by P. Hall Baglie. However, in her 1933 autobiography Crowded Hours, Alice reminisced about taking the elevator from the upstairs hall with her father instead before entering the East Room, a much different entrance than this illustration depicts. “I have heard people say that they do not like weddings and that they did not have a good time at their own,” she later reflected. “My wedding was one that I enjoyed anyway.”

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Wedding Portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Date: 1906

Creator: Frances Benjamin Johnston

Medium: Portrait Photograph

The rare old point lace that trimmed the neckline and elbow-length sleeves of her gown was Alice’s “something old.” The lace had been used on her mother Alice Hathaway Lee’s wedding dress when she married Theodore Roosevelt; tragically, Alice Lee died at age 22, only two days after their only daughter was born. Using the old Lee family lace from England was both a nod to her family heritage as well as a testament to her wealth as her ensemble incorporated handmade, European elements rather than the cheaper, machine-made versions of lace.

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East Room Decorated for the Roosevelt-Longworth Wedding

Date: Circa 1906

Creator: Harris & Ewing

Medium: Photograph

The East Room, elegantly decorated for the Roosevelt-Longworth wedding, held an estimated one thousand guests in attendance. Outside of the grounds, thousands of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the celebrity daughter of the president. The dais, pictured here, was set up along the large window on the east side of the room. Astilbe japonicas, palm fronds, Easter lilies, greenhouse smilax, asparagus vines, bride roses, and rhododendrons filled the room with a floral fragrance and white satin ribbons covered the ropes that created the aisle amongst all of the fortunate guests.

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President Roosevelt with Newlyweds Alice Roosevelt and Nicholas Longworth

Date: Circa March 22, 1906

Creator: C.L. Wasson

Medium: Stereograph

Representative Nicholas Longworth, Alice Roosevelt, and President Theodore Roosevelt pose for a wedding portrait surrounded by palms and lilies. The jewelry Alice chose for her wedding day were gifts from Nicholas, a choker made of diamonds stacked on top of a graduated diamond necklace, and from her father, a diamond brooch.

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Alice Roosevelt Longworth's Wedding Bouquet

Date: Circa March 9, 1906

Medium: Photograph

Alice’s wedding bouquet was composed of rare varieties of white orchids and maidenhair fern in a cascade fashion, a popular English style. The blossoms were tied together by the stem with white chiffon satin ribbon that extended into the floral cascade. After the ceremony, Alice gave flowers from the bouquet to some of her dear friends.

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Wedding Portrait of Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Date: Circa February 19, 1906

Creator: Edward S. Curtis

Medium: Portrait Photograph

Alice’s wedding gown was made of exclusively American materials: a pure white heavy satin foundation with corded satin along the seams. Rare old point lace trimmings on the bodice and sleeves were embellished by clusters of orange blossoms. A four-yard court train in white brocade satin in a lily pattern trailed behind the bride. In an attempt to make sure Alice’s gown could not be copied, the loom cards used to create the brocade weaving pattern were destroyed when the fabric was completed.

Library of Congress

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