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White House Decorative Arts in the 1930s
Interest in the White House grew after President and Mrs. Herbert Hoover took up residence in 1929. Lou Hoover appreciated the historic importance of White House furnishings and introduced a collection of historical paintings, portraits, and objects into the Entrance Hall where visitors gathered before tours. The first lady also initiated a study to record all of the White House’s hi
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White House Decorative Arts in the 1950s
In the fall of 1950, more than a year before the Truman family returned, the Commission on the Renovation of the Executive Mansion discussed furnishing the house in either late 18th century Georgian style or early 19th century Federal style to celebrate the house’s early history. However, rising construction costs limited the budget for new furniture and many pieces removed be
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White House Decorative Arts in the 1980s
When President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan came to the house in 1981, they continued to add furnishings with historic White House associations. Notably, two 1818 East Room chairs and a brass and ivory presidential seal used by Abraham Lincoln were acquired. The first lady was a great force behind soliciting contributions for an extensive redecoration of the private quarters and the maintenance
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Foreword, White House History (Number 26)
Although a great machine for the presidency, the White House operates entirely by hand. Since it was first occupied in 1800, certainly thousands of employees have worked there in various capacities, as full-time staff, from butlers to ladies’ maids to social secretaries, to carpenters, plumbers, and painters. There is no set rule about size, for the needs change. A century ago, th
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Musical Events at the White House
During the terms of Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), White House musical events became a major, regularly scheduled feature of the mansion’s social life. Many innovations took place: the first program by a famous concert pianist; the first musicale devoted to a single opera; the first performance on a clavichord; and the first East Room piano–a fine concert grand from Stei
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Nancy Reagan and Second Genesis
First Lady Nancy Reagan chose the themes for eight White House Christmases. Her official 1981 Blue Room tree was trimmed in ornaments lent by the Museum of American Folk Art. For all the following years, she arranged for the people of Second Genesis, a drug treatment program in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, to help decorate her trees. In 1982, they made
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Caroline Harrison's 1891 Music Room
The Green Room, positioned between the East Room and the Blue Room, is one of the principal parlors of the White House. It has had many incarnations. For President Thomas Jefferson it was an everyday dining room. First Ladies Grace Coolidge, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Pat Nixon imagined it as a Federal-era parlor. Beginning with President Bill Clinton, it has served
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The United States Marine Band: In Performance
Many of the world's finest performing artists have shared the White House stage with the Marine Band. Great tenors and divas, maestros and virtuosos, Broadway stars and jazz greats have all become part of the social history of the White House. "Ever since this wonderful house was built, it has been filled with music. Thomas Jefferson played his violin and
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The Press at the White House: 1901-1918
In 1902, the executive offices were moved from the second floor of the White House to the newly erected Executive Office Building (later named the West Wing). The building included an innovation—a small press room. Reporter access during the Theodore Roosevelt administration changed markedly when he required that cabinet members channel all press requests through his private secretary. William H. Ta
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The Press at the White House: 1941-1952
In 1945, Harry S. Truman proposed a major West Wing expansion that would add a studio and auditorium for press briefings. The plans lacked Congressional support and were not executed. Truman moved the meeting place for press conferences from the Oval Office to the Indian Treaty Room in the State Department (today’s Eisenhower Executive Office Building). Truman’s press conferences were
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Scholarship
The Japanese Mission of 1860
During the 1850s Japan gradually began to discard its isolationist foreign policy of sakoku (“locked country”) and began opening some of its ports to foreign trade while accepting diplomatic recognition from western nations. The U.S. and Japan signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce in July 1858, and in February 1860 three samurai ambassadors and their entourage of 74 took a U.S. N
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Scholarship
Japanese State Dinners
Following the close of World War II, Japan and the United States developed a close alliance along with strategic and trade partnerships. Beginning with Gerald R. Ford in November 1974, seven U.S. presidents have made journeys to Japan, and the Japanese heads of state and government have also visited the White House. Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko arrived in