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Inside the Working White House: 20th Century
A Day in the Working White House: 20th Century: "Every day is wash-day at the White House,” housekeeper Elizabeth Jaffray recalled. The three maids assigned to the laundry when Jaffray first arrived in 1909 did not use electrical appliances; the immense amount of daily washing was done manually, then pressed with flat-irons. At least once a day, while the laundrywomen were at
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The Working White House: Learning the Ropes
White House workers have frequently come to their jobs with experience in hotels and resorts, in large town or country houses, or in the railroad industry as conductors and porters. In these settings, workers developed the poise, polish, and professionalism needed to attend to the most discerning patrons. Their prior training served these individuals well in the White House, but
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Imagining James Hoban
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Irish Roots
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Intrepid Innovation
The computer, the car, space travel. These technologies, while seemingly old hat now, are examples of monumental technological advancement. Even less glamorous technologies such as the modern bathroom, electrical lighting, and electric vacuum cleaners have fundamentally shaped modern life. For many of these technologies, the White House has acted as a testing ground, ultimately demonstrating to the American people their
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The Kennedy White House 1961-1963
At age 43, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the youngest person ever elected to the presidency. Before his vibrant presidency was cut short by an assassin's bullets on November 22, 1963, he had reinvigorated the American spirit. His optimism and belief in America's responsibilities to the world live on as part of his legacy.
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Art in the White House
The collection of fine art at the White House has evolved and grown over time. The collection began with mostly presidential portraits, commissioned or purchased by Congress, or donated by presidential descendants. In the era before photography, some presidents invited painters to set up studios in the White House to record significant events and paint their likeness. In the late
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Decorative Arts in the White House
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 a
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Daguerreotypes
French photographer Louis-Jacques-Mand Daguerre invented the first commercial photographic process known as the Daguerreotype, in 1839. The process involved a plate of polished copper with a coating of light sensitive silver-halide. Once exposed, the latent image on the copper plate was developed using open flame and liquid Mercury. Daguerre published a precise description of this process titled, Histoire ET description du
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The Working West Wing: David Hume Kennerly
This gallery contains photographs by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer David Hume Kennerly, submitted to a Call for West Wing Photographs sponsored by the White House Historical Association to celebrate the 100th anniversary of this executive office building first constructed in 1902. From this group of images, selected photographs were placed in an exhibition entitled: The photographs presented on this page portray