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President Abraham Lincoln and his youngest son Tad look at an album of preeminent photographer Mathew Brady's photographs on February 9, 1864 in Washington, D.C.
Library of Congress
Ellen Wrenshall Grant, daughter of President Ulysses S. Grant, and her husband Algernon Sartoris, a well-to-do English singer. Their wedding was held in the East Room of the White House on May 21, 1874. Nellie, as Ellen was more commonly known as, was 18 years old at the time of the marriage.
Library of Congress
President Rutherford B. Hayes, First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes, two of their children (likely Frances and Scott), and their friends enjoying an evening of entertainment in their library, or what is now known as the Yellow Oval Room, located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion. At the piano is Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz. This 1880 engraving, possibly tinted by P. Hall Baglie, was based on a sketch by Georgie A. Davis and appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.
Library of Congress
Four generations of First Lady Caroline Harrison's family in 1889. Left to right: Caroline Harrison; her grandson Benjamin Harrison McKee; her daughter Mary Scott Harrison McKee; her granddaughter Mary Lodge McKee; and her father, the Rev. Dr. John Scott.
Library of Congress
Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, in the White House Conservatory. The conservatory and greenhouses were removed in 1902 to build the West Wing, which was constructed partially as the result of President Roosevelt needing a separate workspace away from his large family.
Library of Congress
Archie Roosevelt, son of President Theodore Roosevelt, on his pet horse, named Algonquin, in front of the West Wing in 1903.
President William Howard Taft and his children riding horseback circa 1909. Charles Taft, the president's younger son, is on the left of the photo with Helen, the Tafts' only daughter, on the right.
Library of Congress
Jessie Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson, on her wedding day, November 25, 1913. Jessie married Francis Bowes Sayre, a Harvard-educated lawyer who would go on to serve as the United States ambassador to Siam, now known as Thailand, and assistant secretary of state during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. The two were married in the White House and their first child, Francis Sayre, Jr., was born there as well.
Library of Congress
President Woodrow Wilson holding his first granddaughter, Ellen McAdoo. Eleanor Wilson McAdoo, her mother, was the youngest daughter of President Wilson. In 1914 she married Secretary of the Treasury William Gibbs McAdoo, who served nearly the entire Wilson administration.
Library of Congress
The Coolidge family and one of their dogs standing at the bottom of the steps leading to the South Portico. The dog is possibly Rob Roy, one of the Coolidge's white collies. Standing from left to right, are: youngest son Calvin Coolidge, Jr. (who would die a week after this photo was taken), President Calvin Coolidge, First Lady Grace Coolidge, and older son, John Coolidge.
Library of Congress
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s grandchildren, Sistie and Buzzie Dall playing on a slide on the South Lawn. Their given names were Eleanor and Curtis, but the press gave them the nicknames of Sistie and Buzzie. The two children lived in the White House with their mother and grandparents when their parents divorced, and their grandmother, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, had slides, sandboxes, and swings constructed on the South Lawn for the children.
Library of Congress
President Dwight D. Eisenhower with his grandchildren, Anne and David Eisenhower, and Vice President Richard Nixon with his daughters, Julie and Tricia Nixon, at the inaugural parade on January 21, 1957.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Caroline Kennedy and John F. Kennedy, Jr. enjoy a picnic on the South Lawn.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Caroline Kennedy and other classmates in the Solarium. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy set up a school for Caroline and around twenty other children in the Solarium of the White House. The Kennedys and the other parents paid for the teacher's salary and the school met all District of Columbia regulations.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, receives a certificate announcing her as a lifetime member of the Nature Conservancy in 1965 in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden on the White House Grounds. She received the honor for her leadership in the Youth for Natural Beauty and Conservation campaign.
White House Historical Association
Luci Baines Johnson tries on her wedding dress in the Lincoln Bedroom. Luci married Patrick Nugent at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on August 6, 1966.
Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
President Lyndon B. Johnson stands with his growing family in the Rose Garden. From left: First Lady Lady Bird Johnson; the Johnson's eldest daughter, Lynda Bird Johnson; President Johnson; the Johnson's younger daughter, Luci Baines Johnson, holding her newborn son, Patrick Lyndon; and Patrick Nugent, Luci's husband.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
Created during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, the Children's Garden is small, secluded, and private. This image shows impressions left from the handprints and footprints of the presidential grandchildren in the garden.
White House Historical Association
Julie Nixon Eisenhower conducts a tour of the White House for sight impaired and partially blind children on July 18, 1969. Eisenhower, the daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, is seen showing the group a bust of President George Washington in the Cross Hall.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
President Richard M. Nixon's eldest daughter, Tricia Nixon, smiles as a costumed child gazes into the fun house mirror in the Entrance Hall at the White House Halloween carnival. The event was held for local children in the Washington, D.C. area in 1969.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Newlyweds Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox join family members and their wedding party in the Blue Room of the White House in 1971. Tricia's parents, President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, stand near Tricia, along with their younger daughter, Julie Nixon Eisenhower.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
Susan Ford washes her car in the driveway that leads under the North Portico of the White House in 1974.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Susan Ford dances with a member of The Outerspace Band at her high school prom, which was held in the East Room of the White House in 1975.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
First Lady Rosalynn Carter listens to her daughter Amy practice the violin in the Center Hall of the Second Floor residence in the White House.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
President Jimmy Carter plays with his daughter Amy and grandson Jason in their tree house on the South Lawn in 1977. Amy was the youngest of Carter's four children and lived at the White House throughout her father's presidency.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
White House butler Eugene Allen (left) and maître d'hotel John W. Ficklin (right) bring out a cake during a party in the East Room to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mickey Mouse in 1978. The event was hosted by Amy Carter, daughter of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who invited local children with disabilities to the celebration.
Courtesy of Henry & Carole Haller and Family
President Ronald Reagan builds a snowman with his grandson Cameron in the Rose Garden in 1985. Alongside of them, Michael Reagan, the president's son, plays in the snow with his daughter Ashley.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
First Lady Barbara Bush shares a seat with her grandson, John Ellis “Jebby” Bush, Jr. at a screening in the White House Family Theater in 1989. President George H.W. Bush enjoys some popcorn immediately to their right.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
President George H. W. Bush and his son Marvin enjoy a game of horseshoes at the White House Horseshoe Pit in 1989.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
President Bill Clinton at his desk in the Oval Office while his daughter Chelsea and cat Socks share a moment in 1994. Later that day, the president took Chelsea to Georgetown for some last-minute Christmas shopping.
William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
A cake created by White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier in 1996 for Chelsea Clinton, President Bill Clinton's daughter. The cake celebrated Chelsea's 16th birthday, featuring a chocolate jeep and faux driver's license. Mesnier designed the on-the-nose cake after Chelsea mentioned wanting a driver's license and a car for her 16th birthday. This photo comes from a collection of personal photographs taken by Chef Mesnier during his time at the White House, where he worked for six different administrations from 1979-2004.
Collection of Roland Mesnier
President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Clinton, and their daughter Chelsea walk on the South Lawn of the White House in 1996. A Marine One helicopter can be seen in the background.
William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Jenna Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, President George W. Bush, and Barbara Pierce Bush pose for a family photo in 2004.
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
Malia and Sasha Obama attend the White House Turkey Pardon ceremony with their father, President Barack Obama, in 2015. President Barack Obama pardoned Abe, who he jokingly titled "TOTUS," or "Turkey of the United States," and also extended a pardon to an alternate turkey, Honest. Malia and Sasha humored him in laughing at what the press would hail as a slew of "dad jokes" about the two turkeys.
White House Historical AssociationAbout this Gallery
What was it like to grow up in a home where some of the most important political decisions are being made at the same time as you are trying to pass your driver's license exam? We all remember our childhood firsts, but for most of us, these quintessential memories did not take place in one of the country's most famous homes—the White House. In this collection, explore what life has been like for some of the nation's First Children.
On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the thirty-seventh president of the United States. During his time in the White House (1969–74), President Nixon sought to unite a divided nation after the social, political, and cultural turbulence of the 1960s. Before becoming president, Nixon served in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, and as
From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden on the South Lawn in November 2022, the White House has long been the site of wedding ceremonies and receptions. In over two hundred years, there have been nineteen documented weddings and four receptions hosted
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nation’s only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to national attention in 1973, when President Richard Nixon nominated him as vice president. Less than a year later, Ford became president, following President Nixon's resignation from office. The Fords made and celebrated history during their time in the White House, fr
On November 22, 1963, about two hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson took the Oath of Office, becoming the thirty-sixth President of the United States. Prior to serving as vice president, Johnson had represented his home state of Texas for more than twenty years in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. As
Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament. These unique collectibles — honoring individual presidents or specific White House anniversaries — have become part of the holiday tradition of millions of American families. In this collection, explore the inspiration and history behind our 2016 design, and discover how the White House and
Presidents have found different ways to escape the pressures and politics of the position. For early leaders, it was a matter of course that they would leave the White House for the summer to tend to personal businesses or farms. The modern-day presidency is a year-round job. So while the work often follows, the countryside of Virginia or seaside of
Thanksgiving is a relatively quiet and personal holiday at the White House, as it precedes a very busy season of public events in December. With the exception of the annual turkey pardon, the First Family celebrates with friends and family in the same fashion as households across the country. Setting aside a day to give thanks and reflect was the
The White House Historical Association and the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project present this collaboration in an effort to open a window into the Roosevelt White House. From 1935 to 1962, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a syndicated column entitled "My Day." This project selects representative samples of those columns, focused on the White House years, to display Mrs. Roosevelt’s thoughts on a
Since 1878, American presidents and their families have celebrated Easter Monday by hosting an "egg roll" party. Held on the South Lawn, it is one of the oldest annual events in White House history. It has changed and evolved through the years and each First Family has put their stamp on the popular public event. From the roll's origins to today,
