Decorative Arts in the White House

Gallery

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This armchair belonged to George Washington and was possibly used at the President's House at 524-30 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was presented to the White House Collection by Mr. and Mrs. Shepley Evans and the White House Historical Association in 1975.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This bronze inkstand belonged to President Thomas Jefferson and features a reclining male figure wearing a Phrygian helmet. Inscribed on the inkstand is "T. Jefferson, 1804." The inkstand was donated to the White House Collection in 1962.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This gilt bronze, cut glass, and glass Argand lamp was reportedly given to First Lady Dolley Madison by one of Napoleon Bonaparte's brothers. English Argand lamps became popular in America after their invention in the 1780s because they produced brighter lighting with less smoke. This lamp was possibly manufactured by Messinger & Son of Birmingham, England. This lamp was presented to the White House by Mrs. Edward W.C. Russell in 1976.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This armchair is part of a 53-piece gilded beechwood suite commissioned by President James Monroe from Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris in 1817. Monroe purchased the set to furnish the Oval Room, now called the Blue Room, following the burning of the White House by the British in 1814. With its enclosed and upholstered sides, the chair is one of two bergère designed to seat the president and the first lady.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This gilded bronze and mirrored plateau or centerpiece was made by the Parisian firm Denière et Matelin circa 1817, during James Monroe's presidency. Elements of the plateau may have been based on designs by the famed French architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who completed many commissions for Napoleon. The 13-foot long plateau features neoclassical motifs such as fruit, vines, and figures of Bacchus and Bacchantes. It is the oldest object still used in the State Dining Room.
White House Historical Association
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This black marble mantel clock was originally purchased for the waiting room in 1833 during the Andrew Jackson administration, but it was moved to President Abraham Lincoln's office. When the president's offices were moved to the West Wing in 1902, this room was converted to a bedroom, known as the Lincoln Bedroom. This photograph shows the clock resting on the mantelpiece of the Lincoln Bedroom. A portrait of Andrew Jackson is reflected in the mirror.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This silver water pitcher was made by G.C. Allen of New York in 1858 and belonged to President Martin Van Buren. The pitcher is decorated with the flowers and scrolls of the early Victorian era and is engraved with "Martin Van Buren." Benjamin F. Butler, Van Buren's former law partner and attorney general of the United States, bequeathed funds to Van Buren to purchase three pieces of silver which included this pitcher, as well as another pitcher and an ice cream bowl, after his presidency.
White House Historical Association
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Crafted by Charles A. Baudine of New York, this rosewood side chair is one of 42 purple velvet covered rosewood chairs commissioned by First Lady Sarah Polk for the State Dining Room. The first lady also installed matching purple-and-gold draperies.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This French porcelain centerpiece was purchased from the New York City firm of Haughwout & Dailey in 1853 as part of the state service that President Franklin Pierce ordered for the White House. The three figures that support the large bowl are made of Parian ware, a type of bisque porcelain that resembles carved marble. The centerpiece became one of the best-known items in the presidential china collection after First Lady Caroline Harrison discovered it in the White House attic in the 1890s.
White House Historical Association
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This overmantel mirror frame by L.R. Menger of New York is gilded gesso on wood and is one of two originally made for the Green Room. In this photograph, the mirror is seen in the Treaty Room, located on the Second Floor residence of the Executive Mansion. It was acquired in 1853 during the Franklin Pierce administration.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This Rococo Revival center divan is made of gilded ash and blue brocatelle and was manufactured by Gottlieb Vollmer of Philadelphia. It is part of a 19-piece suite that Harriet Lane, White House hostess and niece of President James Buchanan, purchased for the Blue Room where it stayed from 1860 until 1902.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This photograph of the Blue Room was taken in the early 1870s, likely during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Andrew Johnson's daughter, Martha Johnson Patterson, decorated the room during his administration (1865-1869) with geometrical patterns to contrast with the oval shape of the room. In the center of the room is a Rococo Revival center divan purchased for the Blue Room by Harriet Lane, White House hostess and niece of President James Buchanan.
White House Collection
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This bed, famously called the "Lincoln Bed," was purchased by First Lady Mary Lincoln for the principal guest room in 1861. The bed is made of rosewood and has an ornately carved headboard featuring exotic birds and clusters of grapes. Though President Abraham Lincoln did not sleep in this bed, other presidents did, including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. First Lady Grace Coolidge also used this piece.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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President Ulysses S. Grant displayed this gilded wood fire screen in the Red Room. Before that, the screen was exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. It was made by Edward A. Richter of Vienna, Austria.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This black marble and malachite mantel clock has three dials (clock, calendar, and barometer) and a thermometer. Made in France, it was purchased from retailer Browne & Spaulding of New York City for display on the Cabinet Room mantelpiece during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Until the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the Cabinet Room was on the east end of the second floor in the Executive Mansion.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This porcelain oyster plate was made for the White House by Haviland & Co. of New York City and Limoges, France, in 1879. President Rutherford B. Hayes purchased the plate as part of a state dinner service that featured elaborate designs conceived by American artist Theodore Russell Davis. First Lady Lucy Hayes had planned to select a floral pattern for the White House service when she had a chance meeting with Davis. Davis suggested that instead she opt for depictions of flora and fauna native to North America, and Mrs. Hayes agreed. She commissioned Davis as the designer, and he produced 130 distinct decorations for the 562 piece service.
White House Historical Association
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The Resolute Desk was presented to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880. It was constructed from white oak and mahogany timbers taken from the HMS Resolute. In 1852, the Resolute was part of a British arctic expedition, but had been abandoned after it was trapped in ice. The American whaler George Henry recovered the ship in 1855, and Congress appropriated the funds to send it to England as a gift to Queen Victoria. In return, the Queen had the desk constructed after the Resolute was decommissioned. Original designs featured portraits of Victoria and Hayes along with side panels featuring arctic scenes and British and American flags. The center panel with Presidential Coat-of-Arms was added in August 1945. This version depicts the eagle facing to the left and the talon holding the arrows. President Harry Truman would change the seal slightly by having the eagle face to the right and the talon holding the olive branch.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This oil painting depicts the vivid color of a glass screen that was installed between the Entrance Hall and the Cross Hall in 1882. The screen was made by Louis Comfort Tiffany and installed to create an inviting atmosphere for visitors while shielding the drawing rooms from the cold winter drafts of the front door. The painting was created by Peter Waddell in 2006.
Peter Waddell for the White House Historical Association
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This circa 1892 black and white photograph depicts the Entrance Hall of the White House, including the Tiffany Screen. The glass screen featured topaz, ruby, and amethyst jewels set into the glass alongside four eagles and a shield with the initials "US." The glass screen was removed and auctioned off during the Roosevelt renovation, and reinstalled in a Maryland hotel. The surviving glass was destroyed in a fire in 1923.
Library of Congress
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This electric wall sconce is made of brass and cut glass. It was installed in the Family Dining Room in 1891 when the White House was wired for electricity.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This mahogany console table is one of three historically seen in the State Dining Room. Crafted by by A. H. Davenport of Boston, Massachusetts in 1902, the double pedestal table is supported by two large, carved eagles at the base. An English pier mirror, ca. 1790, hangs above the table. The carved and gilded piece was donated to the White House Collection in 1946. The gilded brass candelabras atop the console table are from Tiffany & Company ca. 1880. First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes selected the pair for the State Dining Room, where they have historically been displayed.
White House Historical Association
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This carved eagle serves as the base for one of three mahogany console tables seen in the State Dining Room. The design for the tables was based on an Italian console table in architect Stanford White's New York home.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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These porcelain serving pieces, including a cocktail cup, a ramekin, an oatmeal bowl, and an after-dinner coffee cup, were made by Lenox China of Trenton, New Jersey, in 1918, during Woodrow Wilson's administration. Wilson's state china service was the first made for the White House in the United States. The service features gilt stars and stripes borders and a version of the Seal of the President. Presidents Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover later reordered the pattern
White House Historical Association
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This gilded brass and steel saber was commissioned by French volunteers who fought in the American Revolution for President George Washington. The handle and scabbard of the saber consist of gilded brass. The French government donated it to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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This is a selection of the vermeil pieces in the White House Collection. The pieces were part of a donation of over 1,500 silver gilt, or vermeil, objects made to the White House in 1956 by Margaret Thompson Biddle, a close friend of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.
White House Historical Association
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Much of the furniture of Diplomatic Reception Room is of the federal style, and was collected by Mamie Eisenhower with assistance from the National Society of Interior Designers. The wallpaper was installed under the direction of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. Created by the French firm Jean Zuber et Cie, circa 1852, it depicts scenes of Boston, Niagara Falls, West Point, Natural Bridge, and New York Harbor.
White House Historical Association
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This tapered form work table is one of only four known nearly identical tables by Duncan Phyfe of New York. The intricate piece unfolds for a variety of tasks including: writing, sewing, or miniature painting. Phyfe was one of the premiere cabinet makers in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, known for blending the previous English Neoclassical and Regency styles together in a distinctive way. It was one of several pieces by Phyfe acquired for the White House Collection during the Richard M. Nixon administration.
White House Historical Association/White House Collection
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In 2005, the Lincoln Sitting Room underwent refurbishing under the direction of First Lady Laura Bush to more accurately reflect the 1860s décor of the room. Period appropriate carpeting, wallpaper, and window hangings of yellow brocatelle were installed, as well as the only marble mantel in the White House original to the era. Against the wall is a circa 1850–60 Chigai-Dana from Japan dating to the administration of President Franklin Pierce or President James Buchanan.
White House Historical Association
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At a press preview on April 27, 2015, White House curator William G. Allman discussed President Barack Obama’s newly revealed state china service. A State Dinner held that evening in honor of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe of Japan would be the first official occasion where the china service was used. The service included 11 pieces per setting. In a nod toward President Obama’s upbringing in Hawaii, several pieces in the service were complimented with bands of “Kailua blue.”
White House Historical Association

About this Gallery

Many people approach the décor of their homes as a reflection of oneself. But what happens when a home's interior must be a reflection of a country's history? While the president and first lady make decisions regarding the White House interiors while they live there, they also recognize the importance of maintaining and preserving the public spaces and their accompanying historic artifacts on behalf of the American people. In this collection, explore the long history of decorative arts in the White House.