Decorating of the State Dining Room for the 2018 Holiday Season
This photograph was taken by Andrea Hanks on November 23, 2018, during the decoration of the White House for First Lady Melania Trump's "American Treasures" theme. This shot captures the work in progress in the State Dining Room. Each year, volunteers from across the country assist in the holiday transformation of the White House. Volunteers typically assist with a variety of activities including putting up ornaments, assembling wreaths and bouquets, and creating one-of-a kind decorations to complement the annual theme.
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
Since the beginning of the American presidency, dogs have often shared a presence in both the first family and the White House. In fact, 30 out of the 44 presidents have had a dog at some point during their respective presidencies. These dogs were not only important in the lives of the presidents and their families, but also to the American public.