Visitors in the State Dining Room

This photograph by Matthew D'Agostino was taken in the State Dining Room on July 1, 2015. Visitors to the White House that day were the first following the lifting of a 40 year restriction on cameras and photography. The restriction was lifted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama due to the emergence of cell phone cameras, advances in technology, and White House-related social media. The restriction had initially been enacted due to the severity of flash cameras on the priceless pieces of fine and decorative arts in the house. In this photograph, a group of visitors admire G. P. A. Healy's famous portrait of President Abraham Lincoln.