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The White House Behind the Scenes

Gallery

  • Sergeant Dinsmore, of the White House Police, Receiving Visitors in the Grand Portico

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    A hand-colored wood engraving depicting Sergeant [Edson S.] Dinsmore of the White House Police Force assisting visitors in the Entrance Hall of the White House. The engraving appeared in "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper" on July 23, 1881. Dinsmore also served as White House Chief Usher from 1901 to 1903.

    White House Collection
  • Jerry Smith in Front of a North Portico Window

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    White House staff member Jerry Smith holding his signature feather duster. Smith started working at the White House during the Ulysses S. Grant administration in the late 1860s, and served as butler, cook, doorman, and footman until his retirement some 35 years later. Shortly before dying at age 69 in 1904, Smith was visited at his home by President Theodore Roosevelt.

    Library of Congress
  • President McKinley with John Addison Porter

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    President William McKinley at work with his secretary, John Addison Porter, in today's Treaty Room of the White House, then known as the Cabinet Room. The Treaty Room is located in the Second Floor residence of the Executive Mansion. Porter was the first person to officially hold the title of "Secretary to the President."

    Library of Congress
  • Police Roll Call Inspection at the White House

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    Archie and Quentin Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's youngest sons, standing in the inspection line with uniformed guards near the White House.

    Library of Congress
  • Hoover Dogs on the South Lawn

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    White House police officer P.E. Allen and Harry Waters, the White House "Master of Hounds," with some of President Herbert Hoover's dogs on the South Lawn. The photograph was taken by Herbert E. French of National Photo Company, who known for his photographs that captured life in Washington, D.C., from the Woodrow Wilson through to the Herbert Hoover administrations.

    Library of Congress
  • The White House Wedding of Harry Hopkins and Louise Macy

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    The wedding of Louise Macy and Harry Hopkins in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House on July 30, 1942. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is seen seated next to the bride holding her bouquet, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is standing behind a few of the wedding guests. Harry Hopkins was a close friend of President Roosevelt, who helped administer the Presidents New Deal federal work programs and later became the Secretary of Commerce.

    Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • President Dwight D. Eisenhower Talks with Frederic Morrow

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    President Dwight D. Eisenhower meets with E. (Everett) Frederic Morrow in the Oval Office taken on October 4, 1956. Morrow was the first African American to be appointed to an executive position in the White House. In 1955 President Eisenhower appointed Morrow a Presidential Executive Assistant and speechwriter.

    Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum/NARA, National Park Service
  • Irvin Williams Tends to Tulips on the South Grounds

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    Head Gardener Irvin Williams tends to the tulips surrounding the fountain on the South Lawn of the White House in 1966. In 1961 the Kennedys selected Williams to assist in the installation of the new Rose Garden. Williams would later be promoted to Superintendent of the Grounds and go on to serve eight more presidents before retiring in 2008.

    White House Historical Association
  • Chief Floral Designer at Work in the Green Room

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    White House Chief Floral Designer Elmer M. "Rusty" Young works on a floral arrangement in the Green Room in 1966. The spring arrangement, full of tulips, lilies, and carnations, was put on display in front of Claude Monet's landscape "Morning on the Seine, Good Weather," a gift of the Kennedy family to White House in memory of President John F. Kennedy.

    White House Historical Association
  • Nixon Dogs in the Library at Christmastime

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    Traphes Bryant wrangles Pasha, a Yorkshire Terrier belonging to Tricia Nixon, Vicki, a French Poodle owned by Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and King Timahoe, President Richard M. Nixon's Irish Setter for a Christmas photo in the White House Library on December 19, 1969. Bryant was an electrician with the General Services Administration from 1948 to 1972 and served as the unofficial presidential dog keeper for several first families beginning with President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961.

    White House Historical Association
  • Preparations Ahead of UK State Dinner

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    White House staff and servers set tables in the State Dining Room ahead of a State Dinner. President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon hosted the January 27, 1970 dinner in honor of Prime Minister Harold Wilson of the United Kingdom.

    White House Historical Association
  • Food Preparations in White House Kitchen

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    White House chefs prepare food in April 1970 during the administration of Richard M. Nixon. White House Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert stands near tomato rose garnishes, while White House Executive Chef Henry Haller stands near trays of beef Wellington on the right. Eserline Dewberry looks on from the left side of the photograph. The White House Kitchen is located on the Ground Floor of the Executive Mansion.

    White House Historical Association
  • Pat Nixon Celebrates her 60th Birthday

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    First Lady Pat Nixon celebrates her 60th birthday with East Wing and Kitchen staff during a surprise party organized by the White House Curator's Office on March 16, 1972. Present in the photograph are White House Executive Chef Henry Haller (center), White House Pastry Chef Heinz Bender (third from right), White House Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert (second from right), butler Eugene Allen (far right), and White House Curator Clem Conger (far left).

    Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
  • Chef Haller and John W. Ficklin Ready Dishes for State Dinner

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    White House Executive Chef Henry Haller and Maitre d'Hotel John W. Ficklin add the finishing touches to a dish of veal medallions with wild rice and green beans nicoise in the Old Family Dining Room, as a team of butlers including John Johnson stands by on October 2, 1975. The dishes would then be served to President Gerald R. Ford, First Lady Betty Ford, and their guests Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kjun of Japan in the State Dining Room as part of a State Dinner held in the emperor's honor. Both Henry Haller and John W. Ficklin, provided years of service to the White House. Haller was executive chef from 1966-1987, while Ficklin devoted 43 years to the White House, serving President Franklin D. Roosevelt to President Ronald Reagan. This photograph is part of Chef Haller's personal collection.

    Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
  • President and Mrs. Nixon with White House Social Aides

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    President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon stand proudly in the East Room with a group of White House social aides. White House social aides are active service members of the military, charged with assisting guests at White House social functions. The role was only filled by men until 1969, when President Nixon and Mrs. Nixon welcomed women to the post.

    Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
  • Betty Ford with Social Secretary Maria Downs Ahead of State Visit

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    First Lady Betty Ford and social secretary Maria Downs in the Rose Garden before Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's arrival for a State Visit in 1976.

    Courtesy of Maria Downs
  • President Bush Meets with Laurie Firestone

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    President George H. W. Bush meets with Social Secretary Laurie Firestone in the Oval Office in 1989.

    George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • Hillary Clinton with Richard Nylander in the Blue Room

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    First Lady Hillary Clinton discusses the progress of the Blue Room refurbishment with Richard Nylander in 1995. Nylander, chief curator and director of collections for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in Boston, helped to oversee the project as a member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House.

    William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
  • White House Retirement Celebration for Chef Mesnier

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    White House Chief Usher Gary Walters presents Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier with his workbench as a gift during his retirement celebration on July 30, 2004. A plaque denoting his tenure was specially made for the piece. President George W. Bush and his wife First Lady Laura Bush, along with members of the White House Staff attended the small gathering.

    Collection of Roland Mesnier
  • White House Chefs Harvest Winter Greens

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    Two White House chefs, Kevin Saiyasak and Jeremy Kapper, harvest winter vegetables in the Kitchen Garden in 2012. The vegetables picked were later used at the State Dinner held in honor of Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain and his wife, Samantha Cameron. The Kitchen Garden is located on the South Grounds of the White House.

    Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

About this Gallery

While the presidency is often in the eye of the public, those who ensure operations at the White House run smoothly on a day-to-day basis often carry out their work behind the scenes. Furthermore, some of the president's most intimate relationships play out behind the walls of the Executive Mansion. In this gallery, pull back the curtain on some of the lesser known roles and stories in White House history.

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