• French Empire Pier Table, White House Collection
    Pierre-Antoine Bellange
    tables
    furniture
    furnishings
    This carved and gilded beechwood pier table is of the French Empire style and was manufactured by Pierre-Antoine Bellange of Paris. This table is the only piece of the 53-piece Bellange suite purchased by President James Monroe that has always remained in the White House.
  • Detail of the Red Room, Obama Administration
    Bruce White
    painting
    State Floor
    Red Room
    furniture
    seats
    tables
    This detail of the Red Room was taken in 2009 by Bruce White. In this shot are a guéridon (small, circular French table) made by Charles Honoré Lannuier, an American Empire style sofa, and Thomas Moran's 1895 painting "The Three Tetons". The Red Room is located on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion. The room was first decorated with red fabrics during the James K. Polk administration in 1845. The space is often filled with furnishings in the American “Empire” or “Grecian” style. The parlor has been used for intimate receptions, teas, and meetings.
  • Bellangé Pier Table in Storage
    Robert L. Knudsen
    tables
    furniture
    restoration
    construction & maintenance
    This photograph of a pier table by Parisian cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellangé was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on April 7, 1961 in a storage area within the White House. The table was missing its marble top and glass mirror. It was restored to the French Empire style and moved to the Blue Room during the restoration of the White House overseen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The table formed part of a suite ordered for the Blue Room by President James Monroe in 1817.
  • Christmas Decorations in the State Dining Room, Kennedy Administration
    Robert L. Knudsen
    winter holidays
    tables
    restoration
    mirrors
    furniture
    furnishings
    flowers
    decorations
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    Christmas
    refurbishment
    This photograph of Christmas decoration in the State Dining Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on December 13, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The image also shows the newly painted and gilded mahogany sideboard and console tables with eagle supports, made by A. H. Davenport & Company during the 1902 White House renovation. They were refinished in keeping with French interior designer Stéphane Boudin’s vision for the State Dining Room.
  • Top of a Gilded Brass and Marble Guéridon Table, White House Collection
    Charles Honoré Lannuier
    tables
    furniture
    This is the intricately designed trompe-l’oeil marble top of a guéridon, or small table, made by Charles Honoré Lannuier circa 1810. This guéridon (small, circular French table) is made of mahogany, satinwood, rosewood, and possibly sycamore veneers, with gilded brass and marble. The table, a part of the White House Collection, also features an intricate Italian marble top and is considered a Lannuier masterpiece.
  • Sewing Table, Decatur House Collection
    Unknown
    furniture
    furnishings
    tables
    Decatur House
    This sewing table is made of wood and coated with between three and fifteen layers of fine black and gold lacquer. The sewing table was made in the early 19th century and is believed to have been an engagement gift from Stephen Decatur to his fiancée — a “Miss. King.” The King family passed the table down from generation to generation despite the couple not marrying. Stephen Decatur would go on to marry Susan Wheeler. The sewing table was made in China for the American market and originally had a silk bag attached to it, which was replaced with a mauve damask fabric in the 20th century. This table is a part of Decatur House Collection. In 2010, the White House Historical Association and National Trust entered into co-stewardship arrangement and Decatur House now serves as the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History.
  • Rosewood Center Table with Carved Apron, White House Collection
    John Henry Belter
    table
    This rosewood center table is attributed to John Henry Belter of New York. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln purchased it in 1861 for a guest room. The apron is decorated in carved vines, grape clusters, and roses, and the legs are exotic birds. Bates Littlehales photographed the table in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.
  • Rosewood Center Table with Carved Apron, White House Collection
    John Henry Belter
    table
    This rosewood center table is attributed to John Henry Belter of New York. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln purchased it in 1861 for a guest room. The apron is decorated in carved vines, grape clusters, and roses, and the legs are exotic birds. Bates Littlehales photographed the table in March 1962 during the John F. Kennedy administration.
  • Blue Room, Barack Obama Administration
    Matthew D'Agostino
    tables
    seats
    furntiure
    State Visit
    State Floor
    Blue Room
    containers
    This photograph of furniture in the Blue Room was taken by Matthew D'Agostino on February 10, 2014 during the Barack Obama administration. The Blue Room is located on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion. The oval-shaped parlor has been known as the Blue Room since Martin Van Buren’s 1837 redecoration. The room is often used for receptions, photo opportunities, and during the holiday season is home to the official White House Christmas Tree. This photograph was taken during a press preview held that day to showcase the decor and menu ahead of a State Dinner hosted by President Obama for President François Hollande of the French Republic, including a look at the French influences in the White House rooms and fine and decorative arts in the White House Collection. The Blue Room traditionally has several pieces from the 53-piece furniture suite crafted by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris and purchased during the James Monroe administration.
  • Blue Room, Barack Obama Administration
    Matthew D'Agostino
    State Visit
    State Floor
    Blue Room
    furntiure
    seats
    tables
    containers
    This photograph of furniture in the Blue Room was taken by Matthew D'Agostino on February 10, 2014 during the Barack Obama administration. The Blue Room is located on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion. The oval-shaped parlor has been known as the Blue Room since Martin Van Buren’s 1837 redecoration. The room is often used for receptions, photo opportunities, and during the holiday season is home to the official White House Christmas Tree. This photograph was taken during a press preview held that day to showcase the decor and menu ahead of a State Dinner hosted by President Obama for President François Hollande of the French Republic, including a look at the French influences in the White House rooms and fine and decorative arts in the White House Collection. The Blue Room traditionally has several pieces from the 53-piece furniture suite crafted by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris and purchased during the James Monroe administration.
  • President Ford's Commemorative Paperweights
    Bruce Dale
    tables
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    furnishings
    This photograph shows commemorative paperweights that were on display in the Oval Office during President Gerald R. Ford's administration. The paperweights were on a side table beside a sofa in the Oval Office. A headline from the Grand Rapids Press is engraved on the object to the left, celebrating Ford's election to the position of House Minority Leader for the Republican Party in January 1965. The engraving is based on a newspaper clipping from Ford's home state of Michigan. The paperweight on the right contains a Vice Presidential Seal, a memento from Ford's service as Vice President of the United States to former President Richard M. Nixon.
  • Smoking Pipes on President Ford's Desk
    Bruce Dale
    tables
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    furnishings
    This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford's pipe collection was taken on March 6, 1975 by Bruce Dale during Ford's administration. This collection was displayed on a side table beside one of the sofas in the Oval Office, near the seat where President Ford would traditionally sit.
  • President Ford's Commemorative Paperweights
    Bruce Dale
    tables
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    furnishings
    This photograph shows commemorative paperweights that were on display in the Oval Office during President Gerald R. Ford's administration. The paperweights were on a side table beside a sofa in the Oval Office. A headline from the Grand Rapids Press is engraved on the object to the left, celebrating Ford's election to the position of House Minority Leader for the Republican Party in January 1965. The engraving is based on a newspaper clipping from Ford's home state of Michigan. The paperweight on the right contains a Vice Presidential Seal, a memento from Ford's service as Vice President of the United States to former President Richard M. Nixon.
  • Smoking Pipes on President Ford's Desk
    Bruce Dale
    tables
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    furnishings
    This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford's pipe collection was taken on March 6, 1975 by Bruce Dale during Ford's administration. This collection was displayed on a side table beside one of the sofas in the Oval Office, near the seat where President Ford would traditionally sit.
  • Smoking Pipes on President Ford's Desk
    Bruce Dale
    tables
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    furnishings
    This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford's pipe collection was taken on March 6, 1975 by Bruce Dale during Ford's administration. This collection was displayed on a side table beside one of the sofas in the Oval Office, near the seat where President Ford would traditionally sit.
  • Eagle Carving from Eagle Table, State Dining Room
    A. H. Davenport
    table
    This mahogany console table with carved eagle pedestals is one of three made by A. H. Davenport of Boston in 1902 for the State Dining Room. The design was based on an Italian console table in architect Stanford White's New York home.
  • Treaty Table
    Pottier & Stymus Manufacturing Co.
    table
    This walnut conference table by Pottier & Stymus Manufacturing Co. of New York has eight locking drawers, one for each member of the Cabinet in 1869. Several international treaties and agreements were signed on this table.
  • Black Walnut Center Table
    Unknown
    table
    This black walnut table has an intricate marquetry center. It was originally placed in the Green Room and may have been acquired during the redecoration begun by First Lady Lucretia Garfield and completed by President Chester Arthur.
  • Quervelle Center Table
    Anthony Gabriel Quervelle
    table
    This is one of three mahogany tables with black and gold marble inset tops originally placed in the East Room in 1829 under the chandeliers. They were made by Anthony Gabriel Quervelle of Philadelphia, a renowned furniture maker well known for his ornate mahogany and giltwood pier tables and cabinets.
  • American Chippendale Library Table
    Unknown
    table
    This American Chippendale library table has historically been placed in the Map Room and has Chinese fretwork, square reeded legs, and Marlborough feet.
  • Rosewood Center Table (Detail)
    Herter Brothers
    table
    This detail view is of a rosewood center table with marquetry inlays of satinwood, holly, and boxwood which was made by Herter Brothers of New York. There are carved lion heads on the legs. First Lady Julia Grant commissioned Herter Brothers to redecorate the Red Room in 1875.
  • Rosewood Center Table with Carved Apron, White House Collection
    John Henry Belter
    table
    This rosewood center table is attributed to John Henry Belter of New York. First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln purchased it in 1861 for a guest room. The apron is decorated in carved vines, grape clusters, and roses, and the legs are exotic birds.
  • Walnut Side Table, State Dining Room
    AnthonyJenkins
    table
    This walnut side table is one of four attributed to Anthony and Henry Jenkins of Baltimore and bears a shield likely inspired by the Great Seal of the United States. These tables were used in the State Dining Room by 1867.
  • Mahogany Sofa Table
    John & Thomas Seymour
    table
    This mahogany and birch sofa table by John and Thomas Seymour of Boston has veneered drawers and intricate stringing. This form was uncommon in early 19th century America. The table was a gift of the White House Historical Association in 1975.
  • Dressing Table, Maker's Mark
    Otto Berge
    table
    This maple dressing table was made by Otto Berge in the Val-Kill Furniture Shop in Hyde Park, New York. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and some others established the Val-Kill shop in 1927 to provide employment opportunities in Hyde Park. Several pieces were acquired from the shop for the family rooms in the White House during the 1930s.