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First Lady Rosalynn Carter opens gifts from staff, 1977. When the Carters celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary, White House staff surprised them with the gift of a silver tray. From left: President Jimmy Carter, nursemaid Mary Fitzpatrick holding James Earl Carter IV, butler Eugene Allen, chef Henry Haller, butler Alfred Saenz, and maid Julia M. Sanders, with First Lady Rosalynn Carter and daughter, Amy, in front.
Jeff Carter
Frankie Blair and Susan Ford wash the Fords’ golden retriever, Liberty, 1974.
David Hume Kennerly, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
First Lady Barbara Bush with White House chefs at Christmas, 1992. White House pastry chefs Franette McCulloch (left) and Roland Mesnier pose with First Lady Barbara Bush in front of the elaborate gingerbread house they made for the holiday season.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Quentin Roosevelt and Roswell Pinckney seated on the White House steps in 1902. Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, enjoyed playing with Roswell, the son of steward Henry Pinckney. Quentin Roosevelt was killed in aerial combat during World War I. Roswell Pinckney worked for the U.S. State Department from 1917 until his retirement in 1960.
Library of Congress
Winnie Monroe with the Hayes children, c. 1877. Winnie Monroe worked as a cook and nurse in the White House during the administration of President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
Inkwell, c. 1901. Prizefighter Robert Fitzsimmons, a close friend of President Theodore Roosevelt, had been trained as a blacksmith and enjoyed using his talents to create small mementos. He made this silver inkwell for the president, who in turn presented it as a souvenir to his trusted valet, James Amos. Amos counted it among his treasures for many years, eventually donating it to the Theodore Roosevelt birthplace in New York.
Lent by Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
Tip envelope, c. 1948. It was a longstanding White House tradition for workers to receive a gratuity from the first family at Christmas. Alonzo Fields recalled that President and Mrs. Hoover would give each employee “an autographed picture and an envelope with a crisp new $5 bill for servants of the lower bracket, and larger amounts for those of the higher brackets.” The size of the tip President Truman presented to Fields in this envelope is not known.
Lent by Mayland FieldsAbout this Gallery
In the day-to-day life of the White House, interactions between the first family and the residence staff have varied widely. Theodore Roosevelt’s children counted on valet James Amos to umpire their baseball games. Lynda and Luci Johnson baked cookies in the White House kitchen. Mamie Eisenhower invited workers and their children to the Eisenhower farm in Pennsylvania; and many presidents and first ladies have hosted holiday parties for staff families. Whereas the Hoovers preferred that workers not use the elevator, Franklin Delano Roosevelt invited Lillian Rogers Parks, also a polio victim, to ride with him in the lift.
For more than one hundred years, White House Social Secretaries have demonstrated a profound knowledge of protocol and society in Washington, D.C. The position had its beginnings in the Theodore Roosevelt administration when First Lady Edith Roosevelt hired an executive clerk. From the intricacies of ceremony planning to routine office work, the social secretary must possess unfailing tact in
For more than two centuries, the White House has been the home of American presidents. A powerful symbol of the nation, it is a uniquely private and public space. Since John and Abigail Adams first moved into the “President’s House” in November 1800, hundreds of individuals have worked behind the scenes to help the White House fulfill its roles as a seat
The White House Military Social Aides have played an important role in many different White House events and functions. They have assisted the President with diplomatic protocol at State events, at annual meetings with the leaders of Congress and the Federal Judiciary, and at other significant social events. Military Social Aides play the role of assistant hosts at the White
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 collection, pull back the curtain on some of
