President Reagan Meets with Members of the1988 Winter Olympic Team
In this photograph taken by Susan Biddle, President Ronald Reagan meets with members of the 1988 United States Winter Olympic speed skating team in the East Room on March 8, 1988. Among the speed skaters to meet President Reagan for a photo opportunity were Bonnie Blair, Dan Jansen, Moira D'Andrea, Nancy Swider-Peltz, Jeff Klaiber, Mary Docter, David Cruikshank, and John Backfield. The Olympians met President Reagan at the White House following the culmination of the 1988 games in Calgary the previous month.
James Hoban, the original architect of the President's House, intended that the space now called the "Green Room" be used as a "Common Dining Room." An 1801 inventory revealed that first residents President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams actually used it as a guest bedchamber. However, the next chief executive, Thomas Jefferson, did serve meals in this room. Jefferson
The White House celebrates many holiday traditions, some of which are historic and others more recent. New arrivals to the Executive Mansion bring unique familial rituals that are often blended with time-tested White House and presidential customs. During the holiday season, the president and first lady participate in public traditions such as receiving a tree for the Blue Room, lighting
The collection of fine art at the White House has evolved and grown over time. The collection began with mostly presidential portraits, commissioned or purchased by Congress, or donated by presidential descendants. In the era before photography, some presidents invited painters to set up studios in the White House to record significant events and paint their likeness. In the late