Detail of Empire Room Wallpaper, Kennedy Administration

This wallpaper manufactured by Scalamandré of New York was in the Empire Room during the John F. Kennedy administration. The Empire Room is one of the guest bedrooms on the Third Floor of the White House. The red and white print is a contemporary version of the French early 19th-century Toile De Jouy pattern. This pattern, originally entitled "Hommage à Franklin," depicts scenes from the life and career of Benjamin Franklin and is partially based on a drawing in the White House Collection called "The Genius of Franklin" by French artist Jean-Honore Fragonard.