Oval Office Press Collection

This photograph was taken by Shealah Craighead on December 15, 2001, during a menorah lighting ceremony in the Entrance Hall near the Grand Staircase. Although previous administrations had observed Hanukkah, and menorah lighting ceremonies had been held in the Oval Office during the Bill Clinton administration, the first menorah lighting ceremony was held in the Executive Residence during the George W. Bush administration in 2001. Here, President George W. Bush delivers remarks. The menorah used for the ceremony was presented to President Harry S. Truman in 1951 by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Israel. The grandsons of both world leaders, Clifton Truman Daniel and Yariv Ben-Eliezer, lit the menorah together at the ceremony.

In this photograph, taken by Mary Anne Fackelman on March 26, 1982, President Ronald Reagan playfully prepares to toss a football in the Oval Office. The football was from the University of Southern California Trojans football team. Reagan did not attend USC, but played football in college and retained a lifelong interest in the sport. Reagan played offensive and defensive right guard on the Eureka College football team in Illinois from 1929-1931.

In this photograph taken circa 1962, President John F. Kennedy sits at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. For her first redecoration of the Oval Office in early 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and interior designer Sister Parish had the desk relocated from the Ground Floor to a place of prominence in the Oval Office.

This photograph of the Oval Office with recently-installed new carpet and drapes was taken by Cecil Stoughton on November 23, 1963, the day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin selected the carpet and drapes. Although the restoration of the White House is most closely associated with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, President Kennedy himself guided the choices for the redecoration of the Oval Office. Tragically, he never saw the completed room, as the curtains and carpet were being installed while he was in Dallas in November 1963.

This photograph of the Oval Office after it was redecorated by interior decorator and socialite Sister Parish was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 14, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration. Parish utilized green draperies and carpet that were installed in 1947. The centerpiece of the room, the carved oak Resolute Desk, was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880. Before 1909, the president's office was located in the Executive Mansion. During the William H. Taft administration, the West Wing doubled in size from the 1902 renovation and included a presidential oval office. In 1934, during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, the West Wing was expanded and renovated, with the Oval Office relocated to the West Wing’s southeast corner.

This February 1982 color photograph by National Geographic Service photographers depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. The desk in the center is known as the Resolute desk and has been used by many presidents in their office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. Beyond the Resolute desk are photographs of the Reagan family. Note the Rose Garden covered in snow outside.

This circa 1962 photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President John F. Kennedy. The desk in the center is known as the Resolute desk and has been used by many presidents in their office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880.

This photograph of the Oval Office was taken by National Geographic Service photographers around 1977, during the Jimmy Carter administration. President Carter used the Resolute desk, popular among modern presidents, and displayed Jean Antoine Houdon's bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin behind his desk.

This circa 1945-1953 photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President Harry S. Truman.

This 2001 photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President George W. Bush. In the center of the photograph is the Resolute desk that has been used by many presidents in their office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. Beyond the desk are Bush family photographs.

This photograph of the Oval Office by James E. Russell of the National Geographic Service was taken in January 1971, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. President Nixon used the Wilson desk and displayed a bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln during his tenure in office.

This color photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. The rug depicts the Seal of the President of the United States. Artwork and objects on display include Rembrandt Peale's circa 1823 portrait of President George Washington, Thomas Moran's 1895 The Three Tetons, Jean Antoine Houdon's circa 1778-1828 bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin, a circa 1795-1805 mahogany case clock made by John and Thomas Seymour of Boston, and Frederic Remington's modeled 1895, cast 1903 bronze sculpture The Bronco Buster.

This color photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President George H. W. Bush. The rug depicts the Seal of the President of the United States. President George H. W. Bush replaced the Resolute desk with the desk shown, one used by President Bush in his West Wing office while serving as Vice President under President Ronald Reagan.

This photograph of the Oval Office was taken by National Geographic Service photographers on May 22, 1972 during the Richard M. Nixon administration. President Nixon used the Wilson desk and hung Charles Willson Peale's portrait of President George Washington above the mantel in the Oval Office.

This photograph of the Oval Office was taken by National Geographic Service photographers in February 1982 during the Ronald Reagan administration. President Reagan hung the Charles Willson Peale portrait of George Washington above the mantel opposite his desk.

This color photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President George W. Bush. In the center of the photograph is the Resolute desk that has been used by many presidents in their office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. Beyond the desk are Bush family photographs. The sculpture to the left is Frederic Remington's modeled 1895, cast 1903 bronze sculpture The Bronco Buster. To the right is Nison H. Tregor's 1957 bronze bust of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This watercolor painting of the Oval Office by Mark Iredell Hampton Jr. was made in 1990. The painting captures the Oval Office at Christmas during the George H. W. Bush administration. President Bush is the only president to have used the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway desk, seen in this painting. This is one of two Hampton watercolors in the White House Collection.

This photograph of the Oval Office by Robert S. Oakes was taken in April 1969 during the early days of the Richard M. Nixon administration. President Nixon used the Wilson desk throughout his tenure as president.

This 2001 photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President George W. Bush. To the right is the Resolute desk that has been used by many presidents in their office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. Among the artwork and objects displayed are Rembrandt Peale's circa 1823 portrait of President George Washington and a circa 1795-1805 mahogany case clock made by John and Thomas Seymour of Boston.

This photograph of the Oval Office was taken by National Geographic Service photographers in 1977 during the Jimmy Carter administration. Like many presidents before him, President Carter used the famous Resolute desk during his tenure.

This circa 1995 color photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President Bill Clinton. The desk in the center is known as the Resolute desk and has been used by many presidents in their office. The desk was made from the oak timbers of the British ship H.M.S. Resolute and sent as a gift to President Rutherford B. Hayes from Queen Victoria in 1880. The rug depicts the Seal of the President of the United States.

This circa 1974-77 color photograph, taken by National Geographic Society staff, depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President Gerald R. Ford.

This circa 1995 color photograph depicts the Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, during the administration of President Bill Clinton. The rug depicts the Seal of the President of the United States. Artwork and objects on display include Rembrandt Peale's circa 1823 portrait of President George Washington, Thomas Moran's 1895 The Three Tetons, Jean Antoine Houdon's circa 1778-1828 bronze bust of Benjamin Franklin, a circa 1795-1805 mahogany case clock made by John and Thomas Seymour of Boston, and Frederic Remington's modeled 1895, cast 1903 bronze sculpture The Bronco Buster.

This photograph of the Oval Office was taken by National Geographic Service photographers in February 1975 during the Gerald R. Ford administration. President Ford hung three paintings from the White House Collection: Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay by Victor De Grailly, a portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale, and City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard by G. Cooke.

This photograph of the Oval Office by David Hume Kennerly was taken on January 20, 1993 in the transitional days between the George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. Men are seen moving the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway desk, the desk used by President Bush, on its side with the Resolute desk, the desk favored by President Clinton, in the background waiting to be moved in.