Collection The White House Social Secretary
For more than one hundred years, White House Social Secretaries have displayed a profound knowledge of protocol and society in...
Music & Dance at the White House
- First Lady Dolley Madison is considered to have introduced social dancing to the White House–notably the Waltz, which critics at that time called "the hugging process set to music."
- The United States Marine Band played at the first reception on New Year's Day in 1801 and has performed regularly at the White House ever since. From the time of Jefferson, the band has been known as "The President's Own."
- Thomas Green Bethune "Blind Tom" was the first black artist known to have performed at the White House. He played the piano for President James Buchanan in 1859. Accounts from the period made it clear he was a phenomenal prodigy, although apparently mentally retarded, who was said to have played like Mozart, Beethoven or Gottschalk.
- Ulysses S. Grant once remarked about his musical knowledge: I know only two tunes–one is Yankee Doodle and the other isn't."
An artist's depiction of President Washington dancing at a party.
You Might Also Like
-
-
Collection Dining in the Executive Mansion
A dinner at the White House has always had significance beyond the merely gastronomical. The elegance of the State Dining...
-
Collection The Kennedys and the Arts
President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s advocacy for the arts endures as a vital part of th...
-
Collection Presidential Retreats
Presidents have found different ways to escape the pressures and politics of the position. For early leaders, it was a...
-
Collection Eleanor Roosevelt's "My Day"
The White House Historical Association and the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project present this collaboration in an effort to open a...
-
Collection Music in the White House
Music is often called the universal language. It has been known to break down barriers and shape historic events in...
-
Collection Fourth of July at the White House
It was President Thomas Jefferson who first established the traditions of a Fourth of July celebration at the White House....
-
Collection The Hospitality of Diplomacy
The White House has hosted many important heads of state over the years. Typically, the President and First Lady join...
-
Collection "The President's Own"
On July 11, 1798, President John Adams approved legislation that officially brought "The President's Own" United States Marine Band into being, making...
-
Collection Presidents & Baseball
No sport is more closely tied to the American presidency than baseball. One of Washington’s first baseball fields was lo...
-
Bio Florence Harding
Daughter of the richest man in a small town, Florence Mabel Kling was born in Marion, Ohio, in 1860, and grew...
-
Bio Abigail Adams
Inheriting New England's strongest traditions, Abigail Smith was born on November 11, 1744 at Weymouth, Massachusetts. On her mother's side she was...
