Program for the State Dinner Honoring Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
This is the cover of an event program illustrating the entertainment that followed a State Dinner hosted by President Gerald R. Ford in honor of Prime Minister Harold Wilson of the United Kingdom and his wife, Mary Wilson. The event was held on January 30, 1975. Soprano Beverly Sills of the New York Opera performed for guests in the East Room of the White House, accompanied by pianist Charles Wadsworth, founder of the Chamber Music Society at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. For the complete event program, see 1127393.
This program is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller. As executive chef from 1966-1987, Haller oversaw the menus for over 250 State Dinners at the White House.
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