Collection Presidential and First Lady Portraits
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies,...
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Installation of a gravity hot-air heating system began in the spring of 1840. The system used a self-contained furnace with an inner firebox of iron enclosed by a shell of plastered brick where the air was warmed. Ducts ran from both the outer shell and the furnace room itself (oval room in the basement, now the Diplomatic Reception Room) and extended through the floors and walls to the chambers above. It served only the State Rooms and Cross Hall on the principal floor. Five years later, President James K. Polk ordered a furnace and duct system be built to warm the State and Second Floors. The furnace system was improved to increase its capacity and plaster-lined air ducts were built to the State Rooms, bedrooms, and offices terminating in registers of silver plate, brass, or iron in the least important rooms. At the start of the Mexican War, Polk and his cabinet assembled in the State Dining Room for a photographic portrait in May or June of 1846. This dim daguerreotype is the earliest known photograph taken inside the White House. Two years later the mansion made the transition to gaslight, to the dismay of Polk's wife, Sarah, who preferred to illuminate the rooms with wax candles.
Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies,...
From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First...
In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in for the first of his four terms as president of the United States....
From hot dogs to haute cuisine, U.S. Presidents have communicated important messages through food. Stewart McLaurin, President of the...
The American experiment has long held the curiosity of people around the world, especially for Iain Dale, an award-winning British...
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to...
Over 200 years ago, James Hoban left Ireland for America to pursue his dream of becoming an architect. Selected by President...
Thousands of people traverse historic Lafayette Park every day to get a glimpse of the White House. The park, right...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
Native Americans hold a significant place in White House history. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples, including the Nacotchtank and...
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament....
Since the laying of the cornerstone in 1792, Freemasons have played an important role in the construction and the history of...