Podcast Women’s Suffrage and the White House
This year marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the culmination of the suffragists' fight to secure the right to...
Main Content
Fall 2012
We introduce costume to White House History in this issue, with plans for other issues on the subject. Looking good speaks for itself. For the president and first lady, it is a requirement. They need not be fashion plates, although some have been that, as, for example, Dolley Madison and Jacqueline Kennedy—and as you will see in this issue, Sarah Polk, Edith Wilson, and Frances Cleveland.
Edith Bolling Wilson, soignee in every particular, alights from a White House car in heavy rain about 1918. Hat, cape, long gloves, and reticule complement the shiny buckled shoes, with their Louis heels.
Library of CongressAt the White House the desired image mingles traditional simplicity with appropriateness. This was not so evident when Thomas Jefferson took office. He determined to illustrate at the President’s House “republican simplicity” in his hospitality as well as in what he wore. You will see in this issue that he made his point, then dropped the matter.
Casualness is hard to sustain, and can send an undesirable message of laxness, so some level of formality and organization has always been needed to frame the president and first lady in their house. We address this matter in articles on the uniforms of domestics and on the presidential valets, who often had the last word on style in what the presidents wore.
This year marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the culmination of the suffragists' fight to secure the right to...
The collection of fine art at the White House has evolved and grown over time. The collection began with mostly...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
Since the James Madison presidency, St. John’s Church has been an important part of the life of Lafayette Square an...
In this first episode of 2021, White House Historical Association President Stewart D. McLaurin introduces the Association’s popular virtual program Hi...
Since the first cherry blossom planting in 1912 by First Lady Helen Herron Taft, Washingtonians have celebrated the scenic beauty and...
Whether by hoof, air, waterway, road, or rail, the President’s access to reliable transportation is essential during their time in...
Camp David has provided presidents and their families with a recreational retreat from the White House, as well as a...
In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy resolved to make the White House a “living museum” by restoring the historic integrity of the...
The White House includes 18 acres of historic grounds and gardens that have been cultivated for more than two hundred years...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
No sport is more closely tied to the American presidency than baseball. One of Washington’s first baseball fields was lo...