Depiction of 1902 Lafayette Square and White House

This painting of the White House and Lafayette Square was completed in 2010 by artist Peter Waddell. Waddell depicts the area as it would have appeared in 1902 during President Theodore Roosevelt's administration. At that time, the area around Lafayette Square was still residential, highlighting the relatively large scale of the White House that began to disappear as modern office buildings encroached on the area. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy spearheaded the effort to restore the White Houses historic neighborhood, preventing the destruction of the row houses that line the square. ***Interior use only for publications***