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 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 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 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 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 photograph of the Treaty Room by Erik Kvalsvik was taken in April 1991 during the George H. W. Bush administration. The Treaty Room, located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion, has held many names and purposes for presidents over the years. Today the room is used as a private study for the president and is often redecorated with each administration, as seen here during President Bush's term. President Bush, unlike several recent presidents, used the Resolute desk in his study, not the Oval Office.

The Resolute Desk, made by William Evenden, Royal Naval Dockyard at Chatham, England, was constructed from white oak and mahogany timbers taken from the HMS Resolute and was presented to President Rutherford Hayes by Queen Victoria in 1880. In 1852, the Resolute was part of a British arctic expedition to search for Sir John Franklin, who disappeared while trying to discover the Northwest Passage. The Resolute had been abandoned after being trapped in ice. The American whaler George Henry recovered the ship in 1855 and Congress appropriated the funds to refit it and send it to England as a gift in friendship to Queen Victoria. The Queen reaffirmed that friendship with the construction of this desk after the Resolute was decommissioned. Original designs for the desk featured portraits of Victoria and Hayes along with side panels featuring arctic scenes and British and American flags. The center panel with the Presidential Coat-of-Arms was added in August 1945. Although similar to the Great Seal of the United States, the Presidential Coat-of-Arms has slight differences in design. This version depicts the eagle facing to the left and the talon holding the arrows.