You Might Also Like
-
-
Digital Library Exhibit
President Harding’s Voyage of Understanding
In June 1923, President Warren G. Harding embarked on an ambitious journey across the United States. Called the “Voyage of Understanding,” the historic trip included the first visit of a sitting president to the U.S. territory of Alaska, as well as the first international visit of an American president to Canada. The voyage also marked the final weeks of Harding’s life
-
Bio
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Bringing to the presidency his vast experience as commanding general of the victorious forces in Europe during World War II, Dwight Eisenhower oversaw the growth of postwar prosperity. In a rare boast he said, “The United States never lost a soldier or a foot of ground in my administration.... By God, it didn’t just happen—I’ll tell you that!” B
-
Bio
Lucretia Garfield
Lucretia Rudolph was born on April 19, 1832 to Arabella Mason and Zebulon Rudolph. She acquired her love of learning from her father, and was well educated for a woman of her day who enjoyed translating Greek and Latin. She first met "Jim" Garfield when both attended Geauga Seminary, and they renewed their friendship in 1851 as students at the Western Reserve Eclectic
-
Scholarship
Capturing History
The first known image of the White House was a daguerreotype taken in 1846, during the administration of President James K. Polk. This image, taken by John Plumbe, Jr. started a long tradition of photography surrounding the White House as a building and an institution.1 Since that first image, photographs have offered viewers a glimpse into the world of the American
-
Scholarship
James K. Polk: The Mexican-American War and the Daguerreian Era
The presidency of James Knox Polk is underscored, among other things, by the War with Mexico. Amidst a military confrontation along the Rio Grande, Congress overwhelmingly declared war on Mexico on May 13, 1846 – the first major conflict for the United States in nearly three decades.1 Shortly after, President Polk and several members of his cabinet sat before daguerreotypist John Plumbe in th
-
Scholarship
The White House Garden Tours
When the White House gates open at 10:00 am on Saturday, April 13th, thousands of people will stream through for the start of the 2019 White House Spring Garden Tour. Few of them will know that this special tour – one of only two weekends each year that the grounds of the President’s House are open to the general public – is part of the
-
Article
A "Dark Horse" in Sunlight and Shadow
When Whig opponents chanted “Who is James K. Polk?” throughout the presidential election of 1844, it was more an attempt to influence perception than a reflection of reality. The image of Polk as an obscure protege of Andrew Jackson stood in contrast to the successful career of the nationally known governor of Tennessee and speaker of the United States House of Repr
-
Scholarship
Diversity in White House Art: Henry Ossawa Tanner
Henry Ossawa Tanner was one of the most distinguished Black artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Despite his immense success, Tanner’s life story reveals the challenges faced by many Black artists. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1859. His mother, Sarah Tanner, was a formerly enslaved woman who escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad, while his fa
-
Scholarship
Harper’s Weekly Invites Its Readers Inside the White House
Historians have previously discussed the wider impact of technological innovations that facilitated the emergence of the illustrated press in the mid-nineteenth century.1 Founded in 1857, Harper’s Weekly offered its readers not only the opportunity to read about the news but also visually bear witness to it for the next six decades. It covered politics, society, and war, as great scholarly at
-
Scholarship
Material Culture at Decatur House
Without photographs, paintings, or other visual representations of the Decatur House Slave Quarters from the antebellum period, it is difficult to know exactly what the space looked like while it was inhabited by free and enslaved workers. Unfortunately, the furnishings of antebellum slave quarters are poorly documented—even more so when examining urban environments rather than plantations. However, primary source ev
-
Scholarship
Murder and Untimely Tragedy: The Haunting of Lafayette Square
Places believed to be "haunted" are often the setting of an assortment of numerous grisly stories. Lafayette Square, the area directly north of the White House, is frequently considered a "ghostly" site. Several gruesome tales contribute to its deservedly spooky reputation. The most harrowing occurrence is a legendary Washington, D.C. story involving murder, intrigue, lust, and revenge. On February 27, 1859,