Liberty

The painting of the allegorical representation of Liberty, along with its companion piece Union, is by Italian-born artist Constantino Brumidi. After Brumidi completed The Apotheosis of Washington in the United States Capitol Rotunda in 1866, President Ulysses S. Grant commissioned the artist to create two paintings for display in the renovated Entrance Hall of the White House. Both were mounted in the ceiling and represent the post-Civil War resurgence and indivisibility of the Union. After being removed during the Benjamin Harrison administration, they were returned to the White House following rediscovery in 1978. Brumidi would continue his work in the Capitol until his death in 1880.

Artist: Constantino Brumidi
Date of Work: 1869
Medium: oil paint
Type: Painting
Credit: White House Collection/White House Historical Association

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The Ford White House 1974 - 1977

Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to national attention in 1973, when President Richard Nixon nominated him as vice president. Less than a year later, Ford became president, following President Nixon's resignation from office. The Fords made and celebrated history during their time in the White House, fr
Collection
The 2023 White House Christmas Ornament

Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament. These unique collectibles — honoring individual presidents or specific White House anniversaries — have become part of the holiday tradition for millions of American families. In this collection, explore the history behind our 2023 design and learn more about President Gerald R. Ford. Buy
Podcast
The History and Making of the Official White House Christmas Ornaments

Featuring Richard Rovsek, Board Trustee at Spirit of Liberty Foundation; Dave Marquis, President of ChemArt, Kim Fyfe, Graphics Manager at ChemArt
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2009 Winning Essay The Hugh S. Sidey Scholarship

Presidents have a tendency to be idolized for their perceived successes—Ronald Reagan for his role in felling Communism and realization of the GOP economic model—and demonized for their perceived failures—Carter for his handling of the Iranian hostage crisis and skyrocketing inflation rates—or simply forgotten in mediocrity. Before these impressions are etched in stone, their every move is follo
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Michelle Obama Celebrates with the American People

First Lady Michelle Obama began her White House Christmas planning with a very simple idea: to include as many people, in as many places, in as many ways as possible.In 2009, Mrs. Obama asked 60 local community groups from around the nation to "Reflect, Rejoice, Renew," and redecorate 800 ornaments from previous White House administrations. The ornaments paid tribute to favorite local
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About Our Authors

Authors JAMES ARCHER ABBOTT is currently the executive director at Wright’s Ferry Mansion in Columbia, Pennsylvania. Abbott has served as director of Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library, curator of American and European decorative arts for the Baltimore Museum of Art, and curator and educator for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Boscobel House and Gardens, and Hist
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2022 Presidential Sites Summit Schedule

Tuesday, March 15 12:00-6:00pm: Registration at the Adolphus Hotel 12:00-3:00pm: Optional Day Trip The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza 12:00-3:00pm: Shuttle will continuously run between The Adolphus and the Sixth Floor Museum Join us for the pre-summit excursion to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. The museum chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F.
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Top Dogs at the White House

Families taking up residence at the White House since the Theodore Roosevelt administration have encountered the public's insatiable appetite for stories of everyday life in the Executive Mansion. With the common reproduction of photographs in newspapers and magazines by the early 20th century, presidential pets had to accept the same scrutiny as their distinguished masters. Whether providing companionship or humanizing
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Leslie Bowman

Leslie Greene Bowman is President of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the home of Thomas Jefferson. She has spearheaded the Foundation’s vision to bring history forward into national and global dialogues — with a special emphasis on civic engagement, race and the legacies of slavery. Believing that Monticello is an essential place to unde
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Cokie Roberts

Cokie Roberts is a political commentator for ABC News and NPR. In her more than fifty years in broadcasting, she has won countless awards, including three Emmys. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history
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Recommended White House Literature for Young Readers

Barnes, Peter W. and Cheryl Shaw Barnes. Woodrow the White House Mouse. Washington, D.C.: Little Patriot Press, 2012.Using rhymes and colorful illustrations, this book teaches children about the Executive Mansion and the presidency from the perspective of Woodrow G. Washingtail, the White House mouse. Bateman, Teresa. Red, White, Blue, and Uncle Who?: The Stories of America’s Patriotic Symbols. Ne
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White House History Live