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Scholarship
The Tale of Two White Houses: Espionage during the Civil War
In the nineteenth century, two mansions sitting approximately one hundred miles apart were both called the “White House.” The White House in Washington, D.C., was constructed to serve as the executive seat for the President of the United States. During the War of 1812, British troops burned the building but it was quickly rebuilt and re-occupied by 1817. The following year, a sm
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Scholarship
Dan Jansen
Speed skater Dan Jansen’s gold medal victory is one of the most inspiring Olympic stories in American history. The four-time Olympian and seven-time World Cup champion won a gold medal in his final Olympic race in the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Jansen’s road to the gold was riddled with disappointments, family illness, and personal challenges, yet he pers
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Scholarship
George DeBaptiste
President William Henry Harrison’s famously brief month-long tenure at the White House makes it difficult to research the inner workings of the Executive Mansion during his administration, and an 1858 fire at his family’s home in North Bend, Ohio, destroyed many documents related to this particular period of Harrison’s life.1 However, obituaries and recollections reveal a fascinating individual who wo
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Scholarship
Peggy Fleming
On February 10, 1968, nineteen-year-old American figure skater Peggy Fleming stepped out onto the ice at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. She impressed the judges with her free skate routine, winning the gold medal in Ladies’ Figure Skating singles. In addition to clinching the only gold medal win for the United States at Grenoble, her victory marked a rebirth for the sp
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Scholarship
Material Culture at Decatur House
Without photographs, paintings, or other visual representations of the Decatur House Slave Quarters from the antebellum period, it is difficult to know exactly what the space looked like while it was inhabited by free and enslaved workers. Unfortunately, the furnishings of antebellum slave quarters are poorly documented—even more so when examining urban environments rather than plantations. However, primary source ev
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Scholarship
Decatur House Silhouettes
Through research and analysis of written accounts, letters, newspapers, memoirs, census records, architecture, and oral histories, historians, museum professionals, and descendants seek to restore the voices of enslaved people. Although it is possible to construct certain details of an enslaved person’s life, it is often difficult to know about their physical appearance because it is extraordinarily rare to find im
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Scholarship
Here Kitty Kitty
First families have welcomed pets to the White House since its earliest occupants assumed residency. Dogs have been the most prevalent presidential pet in American history. However, in recent years, cats have become more frequent occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The increased feline occupancy of the White House in the past fifty years is likely a reflection of cats becoming a
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Scholarship
Women's Groups and First Ladies' Portraits
Portraits have long served the purpose of connecting contemporary audiences to people of the past. Portraits not only depict the appearance of their subjects and the fashions of the time, but they provide insights about the artists and those who commissioned them. At the end of the nineteenth century, several women’s groups engaged in all steps of the process of
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Scholarship
“Kitchen Genius”: Dolly Johnson at the White House
Cuisine is a central part of life at the White House. From State Dinners and diplomatic receptions to private meals and family events, the White House executive chef and their team feed some of the most influential people in the world. The menus, ingredients, and flavors selected by the culinary staff often convey the personality, taste, budget, and lifestyle of
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Scholarship
Coffee and the White House
Coffee is a major global commodity that has shaped the lives of countless people throughout history. It is a beverage with multiple meanings and uses, the most common being its role as an energy stimulant and signifier of social habits. An examination of eighteenth and nineteenth century coffee consumption at the White House demonstrates how coffee became an important part
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Scholarship
John Mercer Langston
In 2021, the Arlington County Board voted to change the name of Lee Highway, named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, to Langston Boulevard in honor of John Mercer Langston, the first Black congressman from Virginia.1 Langston’s work as a civil rights activist led to several federal appointments by United States presidents and multiple White House visits. John M. Langston’s ad
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Scholarship
Jerry Smith
Jeremiah “Jerry” Smith worked at the White House through eight presidencies. Government documents listed him as a laborer, but he took on a variety of unofficial roles, including valet, footman, custodian, and most notably, duster. Throughout his thirty-year tenure, Jerry witnessed three White House weddings, the aftermath of two assassinations, the installation of electricity, the construction of the West Wing, and