Center Hall, Kennedy Administration
This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House after its redecoration during the John F. Kennedy administration. On the wall hang a series of portraits of American Indians by American author and artist George Catlin borrowed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy from the National Gallery of Art. Beneath the paintings is a Federal sofa, on loan and attributed to Samuel McIntire. Like the nearby East and West Sitting Halls, this space was redecorated by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Interior designer Sister Parish envisioned the design concept for the space, while furniture was acquired under the guidance of Henry Francis du Pont and arranged by interior designer Stéphane Boudin.
The Center Hall traverses the length of the Second Floor from the east to the west ends of the Executive Mansion, much like the Cross Hall and the Ground Floor Corridor on the floors below it. The Center Hall serves as the lifeline of the first family’s residence, leading off into the Lincoln Bedroom, the Yellow Oval Room, and the Treaty Room, among others.
- Photographer
- Robert L. Knudsen
- Date of Work
- August 28, 1963
- Type
- Photograph
- Credit
- John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA