Collection The First Ladies
Biographies & Portraits
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This portrait photograph of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley was taken as she sat in the White House Conservatory. Mrs. McKinley suffered from epilepsy and often took refuge from the public in the Conservatory because of the greenhouse's privacy and splendor. The more iconic images of Mrs. McKinley show her seated in this favorite spot.
Biographies & Portraits
Since 1878, American presidents and their families have celebrated Easter Monday by hosting an "egg roll" party. Held on the South...
Since the first cherry blossom planting in 1912 by First Lady Helen Herron Taft, Washingtonians have celebrated the scenic beauty and...
It is hard to imagine that it was something as casual as a lunch conversation between a newly elected president...
The White House Grounds began as approximately 85 acres of land chosen by George Washington and was refined and cultivated by...
A group of physicians and surgeons meeting in Washington 1891 was treated to a reception at the White House on the...
1862-1863: Mary Todd Lincoln, grieving over her son Willies death in February, began to participate in spirit circles or seances...
At the 1896 Republican convention, in time of depression, the wealthy Cleveland businessman Marcus Alonzo Hanna ensured the nomination of his...
Ida was born in Canton, Ohio, in 1847, the eldest daughter of a socially prominent and well-to-do family. James A. Saxton,...
Many people consider raccoons to be pests and nuisances. These nocturnal mammals are often found rummaging through trash cans, dumpsters,...
As any visitor to Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. will tell you, pigeons are a universal feature of the...
Few first ladies have been so attuned to the natural beauty inside and outside the White House as First Lady...