Adams's Benediction, White House Collection

This photograph by White House Photographer Michael Geissinger is of President John Adams' blessing, which is engraved in the mantel in the State Dining Room. The benediction reads, “I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.” The words are taken from a letter written to First Lady Abigail Adams from the President's House by President Adams in 1800 and were engraved in a mantel in 1945 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. During the Harry S. Truman renovation of 1948 to 1952, the mantel was removed. A replica, seen here, was installed in1962. This photograph was taken in 1968, during the Lyndon B. Johnson Administration.