“Behind the Scenes at the White House” NEW ISSUE of White House History Quarterly

Aug 24, 2023 Washington, D.C. —

The White House Historical Association today released the 70th issue of its award-winning magazine, White House History Quarterly, “Behind the Scenes.” In her foreword, Marcia Anderson, editor of the Quarterly, explains, “Our authors have turned to photo albums, storage areas, diaries, and keepsakes to bring unexplored history to light. They take the reader behind the scenes, exploring from the rooftop to basement, from past to present, to catch glimpses of the life and fabric of the White House unlikely to appear in history books.”

Interview Opportunities:

Contributors Marcia Anderson, Melinda Dart, John Chuldenko, Tina Hager, and Scott Harris are available to speak about their articles in this issue.

Articles included in this issue of White House History Quarterly:

• “The Executive Residence Portrait Project Remembered” — Images of early twenty-first-century household staff were captured by White House photographer, Tina Hager, with encouragement from First Lady Laura Bush. The collection reveals not only the likenesses, but the personalities and dedication of butlers, ushers, chefs, housekeepers, carpenters, gardeners, electricians, and others devoted to the smooth operation of the Residence. An interview with Hager reveals a behind the scenes glimpse in the creation of these extraordinary portraits.

• “White House Curatorial Storage: An Inside View” — Associate Curator of Collections Donna Hayashi Smith takes readers on a tour of the White House’s on-site small but state-of-the-art collections storage area where precious objects are hung, boxed, shelved, studied, and kept safe from harm when not on public view.

• “Irineo Esperancilla U.S. Navy Steward to Four Presidents: Faithful Service Remembered” — Irineo Esperancilla (“IE”), one of many young Filipino men who enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the early twentieth century, would ultimately be assigned to serve as a “special steward attached to the persons” of four U.S. presidents. From 1930 to 1955, he served Presidents Hoover through Eisenhower, witnessing many of the most consequential events of the twentieth century. IE's granddaughter, Melinda Dart, shares his story and describes how she preserved it.

• “Envisioning the East Room of Abraham Lincoln’s Funeral” — Witnessed by only about six hundred people, the East Room funeral of President Abraham Lincoln is one of the most riveting events in all of White House history, yet there is no photographic record. David Ramsey has used twenty-first-century computer technology to create a collection of views depicting the canopied catafalque and the darkened East Room, draped in mourning, as only the funeral attendees would have seen it.

• “Honoring the Legacy of My Father, President Gerald R. Ford” — Susan Ford Bales shares her personal perspective on the stories behind the design of the Official 2023 White House Christmas Ornament that honors her father, President Gerald R. Ford. From President Ford’s college football career to the USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78), she offers a personal look at what the Official 2023 White House Christmas ornament represents.

• “White House Wax: Discovering the White House Record Library” — Music lover John Chuldenko brings to light a little-known White House collection that holds special memories for two former White House residents, his uncles Chip and Jeff Carter, President Carter’s sons. Inspired by their stories of records played on a turntable in the Solarium, Chuldenko began a quest to find the collection. His persistence resulted in a rare opportunity to explore the record albums and play a few of his favorites.

• “Presidential Sites Feature: President William Howard Taft’s Wild Ride from Washington, D.C., to the Manassas Peace Jubilee” — Scott Harris retraces President William Howard Taft’s harrowing adventure, as he survived Virginia’s muddy and flooded roads while making his way from the White House to the countryside to address Civil War veterans gathered at the 1911 Peace Jubilee in Manassas.

• “Reflections”— Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, closes the issue with an interview of former White House Curator Lydia Tederick, who recalls highlights of her more than forty years caring for the White House Collection.

This 108-page issue of White House History Quarterly retails for $12.95. To purchase a single issue, visit shop.whitehousehistory.org.

To subscribe to White House History Quarterly, visit whitehousehistoryjournal.org.

To request a copy of White House History Quarterly #70, or interview the contributors, contact press@whha.org.

About White House History Quarterly

White House History Quarterly, published by the White House Historical Association since 1983, is now in its seventieth issue. The Quarterly strives to present the broadest view of this personal American subject—the White House—featuring memoir, biography, history, and cultural context as it opens the doors of “America’s House” to America. Issues are thematic, shaped to tell a story from a particular angle, and the themes—from music, theater, fashion, art, entertaining, flowers and gardens, kitchens and cooking, presidential journeys and travel, memoir, and presidential kin and presidential sites—suggest the broad scope of the content. With editorial offices in Washington, D.C., at the Association's row house facing Lafayette Park across from the White House, White House History Quarterly is published four times each year. One, two, or three-year subscriptions, single copies, and bound collections of back issues are available.