Trying to Lower the White House Temperature

This ink and charcoal drawing by W. A. Rogers (often referred to as William Allen Rogers) depicts men delivering ice on a hot morning in 1881, during the weeks following the shooting of President James Garfield. A line of horse-drawn carriages delivering the ice extends down the north drive of the White House. The ice was intended to help cool the temperature in the house and aid the ailing president. Drawn from the perspective of the North Portico of the White House, facing north towards Lafayette Park, a column is at the forefront on the left side of the drawing with a large, ornate sconce or lantern extending out of the column. The first air conditioning system was installed in the White House in 1933. Rogers was an American cartoonist and illustrator, who replaced Thomas Nast at Harper's Weekly in 1877.