First Ladies' Gowns

This oil on canvas portrait of First Lady Martha Washington was painted by celebrated portraitist Eliphalet Frazer Andrews. He painted this seventy-six years after Mrs. Washington's death and it is based on a head and bust oil sketch done by Gilbert Stuart. During President Washington's administration, from 1789-1797, Mrs. Washington is said to have created an atmosphere of warm hospitality in the temporary capitals of New York and Philadelphia despite her dislike of formal affairs and society.

This oil on canvas painting of Julia Gardiner Tyler was done by Francesco Anelli when she was 26 years old. Julia Tyler was President John Tyler's second wife and served as first lady from June 26, 1844 to March 4, 1845.

This portrait photograph of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln was likely taken around 1865. Mrs. Lincoln and her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, were married for over 20 years at the time of his death and had four sons together. This photograph was taken by the firm E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. and the original print was an albumen silver stereo card.

This oil on canvas portrait of First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes was done by Daniel Huntington. In the beginning of Huntington's career, he painted landscapes in the tradition of the Hudson River School, but later predominately produced portraits. Mrs. Hayes was well-educated and graduated with honors from Cincinnati Wesleyan Female College in 1850. During the Civil War, she worked in several hospitals tending to the wounded, including her husband. She was an abolitionist and a staunch supporter of the temperance movement. As First Lady, she instituted the first White House Easter Egg Roll. Her husband served as president from March 4, 1877 until March 8, 1881.

This portrait is of First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland. When Mrs. Cleveland married President Grover Cleveland on June 2, 1886, she became the youngest woman to serve as first lady at the age of 21. She was also the first bride of a president to be married in the White House.

This portrait of First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley was taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Johnston was one of the earliest female photographers and photojournalists, and had her own studio in Washington, D.C.

This portrait of First Lady Edith Carow Roosevelt was painted in 1902 by Théobald Chartran, a French artist who became one of the most fashionable portraitists of the early twentieth century. Mrs. Roosevelt, wife of President Theodore Roosevelt who served in office from September 14, 1901 until March 4, 1909, poses in the colonial garden, known today as the Rose Garden, which she established near the White House's new West Wing. Chartran repositioned the South Portico so it would appear in the portrait for aesthetic effect.

This photograph by Harris & Ewing shows First Lady Grace Coolidge posed on the Grand Staircase in a formal evening gown. The Grand Staircase leads from the Second Floor of the White House down to the Entrance Hall on the State Floor.

This black and white photograph is of Eleanor Roosevelt posing in her inaugural gown at the White House. This gown was for her husband's second inauguration in 1937.

This photograph from January 1953 shows First Lady Mamie Eisenhower in her first Inaugural ball gown. The dress, designed by Nettie Rosenstein, was a pink peau de soie gown and included over 2,000 rhinestones. She also carried a Judith Leiber purse. Mrs. Eisenhower had an affinity for fashionable clothing.

In this photograph, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy greet members of the American Ballet Theatre at the conclusion of their performance of "Billy the Kid" in the East Room on May 22, 1962. Joining the Kennedys were President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of the Ivory Coast and his wife, First Lady Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny. At the forefront of the group is Aaron Copland, composer of the ballet. The ballet was part of the entertainment for the State Dinner held in honor of the President Houphouët-Boigny.

In this photograph First Lady Pat Nixon, along with White House Curator Clement E. Conger and Janet A. Neff, greets guests in the Blue Room during a reception to celebrate its reopening on May 15, 1972. Neff was the primary supporter of the restoration of the Blue Room to its French Empire style. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia.

This photograph shows President Gerald R. Ford and First Lady Betty Ford speaking with Fred Astaire at the State Dinner held in honor of Shah Mohammad Reza and Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran. Astaire (1899-1987) was a celebrated American actor and dancer.

In this photograph taken on January 20, 1977, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter dance among their guests at their inaugural ball.

In this photograph taken on January 20, 2001 by Eric Draper, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush wave to guests at one of their inaugural balls.

This photograph was taken by Matthew D'Agostino for the White House Historical Association on May 13, 2016. This photograph captures President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on the North Portico of the White House while welcoming Nordic leaders ahead of a State Dinner held in their honor. President Barack Obama hosted the U.S.-Nordic Leaders Summit and a State Dinner in honor of President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of Sweden, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark, and Prime Minister Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson of the Republic of Iceland at the White House. The summit aimed to expound upon the U.S.-Nordic relationship on a variety of issues and was a reconvening of the group since President Obama's trip to Sweden in 2013.