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The Confidant (First Lady Lucy Hayes and Her Maid, 1879) by Peter Waddell

The Confidant (First Lady Lucy Hayes and Her Maid, 1879) by Peter Waddell

First Lady Lucy Hayes and Her Maid, 1879. Peter Waddell, The Confidant, oil on canvas, 60 x 48.

Lucy Webb Hayes was a popular first lady and officially supported her own interests: children, education, and abolition. Her personal maid Mary, along with Mary's mother Winnie Monroe, were intimate members of the Hayes household and came from Ohio with the family to serve at the White House. A cat named Siam was sent to the Hayes children by the American consul in Bangkok; it was the first Siamese cat in the United States.

Artist
Peter Waddell
Date of Work
2008
Medium
Oil
Type
Historical Depiction
Credit
The White House Historical Association

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