In this photograph, an unidentified man draws an outline for the construction of a base stand for a gingerbread house. Similar stands were created to support the massive gingerbread houses overseen by White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier during the George H. W. Bush through the George W. Bush administrations.

This photograph shows carpentry tools gathered on top of a base stand for a gingerbread house. Carpentry tools including squares and levels were used by the White House pastry team under the management of Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, in the creation of the White House gingerbread houses during the George H. W. Bush through the George W. Bush administrations.

In this photograph, an unidentified man draws an outline for the construction of a base stand for a gingerbread house. Similar stands were created to support the massive gingerbread houses overseen by White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier during the George H. W. Bush through the George W. Bush administrations.

In this photograph, taken by Susan Sterner on January 4, 2005, First Lady Laura Welch Bush and White House Curator William G. Allman oversee the installation of window fixtures in the Lincoln Bedroom. The window fixtures were installed as part of Mrs. Bush's refurbishment project to restore the historical accuracy of the space and the adjoining Lincoln Sitting Room. Additional enhancements added to the room included period appropriate carpeting, wallpaper, and window hangings, a bed cornice, as well as the only marble mantel in the White House original to the era.

In this photograph by Robert L. Knudsen, workers repaint the Ground Floor Corridor on September 13, 1961. The painting was part of the refurbishment and restoration of the White House under the guidance of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the China Room in the midst of refurbishments during the John F. Kennedy administration. As part of the redecoration of the room to a vibrant grey, white, and red color scheme, the central 19th-century gild-framed borne settee was reupholstered in red velvet. The red velvet used for the settee and to line the china cabinet shelves was inspired by the gown seen in Howard Chandler Christy's portrait of First Lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge, first placed in this room in 1952. A circa 1825 marble mantel, seen here at right, was also added to the room during the renovations. The project was overseen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the China Room in the midst of refurbishments during the John F. Kennedy administration. The room was redecorated to a vibrant grey, white, and red color scheme. The red velvet used for the settee and to line the china cabinet shelves was inspired by the gown seen in Howard Chandler Christy's portrait of First Lady Grace Goodhue Coolidge, first placed in this room in 1952. A circa 1825 marble mantel, seen here, was also added to the room during the renovations. The project was overseen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the Vermeil Room in the midst of refurbishments during the John F. Kennedy administration. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy collaborated with interior designer Stéphane Boudin to redecorate the room in a blue and white style. The Vermeil Room, located on the Ground Floor of the Executive Mansion, houses the extensive collection of vermeil, or gilded silver, that was bequeathed by Margaret Thompson Biddle to the White House in 1957 during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. Prior to the bequest, the room was known as the Social Room because of its proximity to a ladies restroom. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was the first to display the newly acquired vermeil collection in the room.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on October 24, 1963, shows the Queens' Bedroom, then called the Rose Guest Room, apparently under renovation. The effect was staged by Chief Usher J. B. West and the White House Carpentry Shop, as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy used the unfinished rooms as an excuse to amend an overnight guest invitation. The Lincoln Bedroom was similarly staged for the ruse. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's redecoration of the Queens' Bedroom was completed by late August 1963.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on October 24, 1963, shows the Lincoln Bedroom apparently under renovation. The effect was staged by Chief Usher J. B. West and the White House Carpentry Shop, as First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy used the unfinished rooms as an excuse to amend an overnight guest invitation. The Queens' Bedroom, then called the Rose Guest Room, was similarly staged for the ruse. In actuality, the Lincoln Bedroom was not drastically refurbished during the Kennedy administration, although First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw minor alterations including the installation of a chandelier and the addition of slipper chairs with fringe selected by interior designer Stéphane Boudin.

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.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen, a member of Peter Guertler’s staff prepares to paint the Library on September 13, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The new color scheme of yellow, ivory, and antique gold would reflect suggestions from Henry Du Pont, head of the Fine Arts Committee and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin. Boudin's suggestion was based on the color scheme from the library at Leeds Castle. Guertler was a New York society painter and craftsman, who gifted his services to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s restoration program.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen on September 13, 1961, unidentified workers repaint the Ground Floor Corridor. The painting was part of the refurbishment and restoration of the White House under the guidance of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph of a Victorian period sofa and chair in the Monroe Room, later known as the Treaty Room, was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on October 11, 1961 during the John F. Kennedy administration. These were, like many other pieces chosen for the restored rooms by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, were in poor condition resulting from extended periods of time in White House storage spaces. These pieces were refurbished and placed in the newly restored and renamed Treaty Room.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen on June 21, 1962, White House curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce inspects the new marble mantel before it was installed in the State Dining Room. The mantel was a joint gift of the architecture firm Steinmann, Cain and White, and the Marble Industry Board of New York. The new mantel was installed as part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration program. The State Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House. The room is often the setting for State or Official Dinners and is the second largest room in the White House.

This photo of the installation of a new marble mantel in the State Dining Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on June 25, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The mantel was a joint gift of the architecture firm Steinmann, Cain and White, and the Marble Industry Board of New York. The new mantel was installed as part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration program.

This photo of the installation of a new marble mantel in the State Dining Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on June 25, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The mantel was a joint gift of the architecture firm Steinmann, Cain and White, and the Marble Industry Board of New York. The new mantel was installed as part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration program.

This photo of the installation of a new marble mantel in the State Dining Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on June 25, 1962. In the photo, two men are installing the mantel as White House Matre d'Hotel John W. Ficklin and two unidentified White House residence staff members survey the work. The new mantel was installed as part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration program and was a joint gift of the architecture firm Steinmann, Cain and White and the Marble Industry Board of New York. The State Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House. The room is often the setting for State or Official Dinners and is the second largest room in the White House.

This photograph of the Map Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10,1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The room is seen here with pieces from the White House Collection acquired during First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s White House restoration project. The room served as the temporary location of the curator’s office, where new acquisitions were examined and cataloged before being displayed in rooms restored during the project. The Map Room is located on the Ground Floor of the Executive Mansion and got its name during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration when President Roosevelt used the room to monitor and intake classified information during World War II. The room was the original Situation Room. Today the room acts as a sitting room but still displays maps in homage to its origins.

This photograph of the repainted and lightly furnished Ground Floor Corridor was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The photograph shows the placement of sculptures and pier tables as well as Regency-style lighting fixtures donated by Henry du Pont. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph of the temporary upholster's shop set up in the Ground Floor Corridor was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 10, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. As part of her White House restoration project, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and the Fine Committee put out private inquires and public calls for antiques. However, the newly acquired donations as well as general wear and tear on items in the collection created a need for a repair and upholstery shop.

This photograph, taken on January 15, 1930, shows President Herbert Hoover walking past debris and workers repairing fire damage to the West Wing. On the evening of December 24, 1929, the West Wing caught fire, requiring the efforts of 130 firefighters to extinguish the powerful, four-alarm blaze. The fire started when pamphlets in the attic ignited, likely caused by a blocked or faulty chimney vent or defective electric wiring. Following repairs, President Herbert Hoover and his aides returned to the West Wing on April 14, 1930.

This photograph, taken in January 1930, shows engineers inspecting for fire damage on the roof of the White House. On the evening of December 24, 1929, the West Wing caught fire, requiring the efforts of 130 firefighters to extinguish the powerful, four-alarm blaze. The fire started when pamphlets in the attic ignited, likely caused by a blocked or faulty chimney vent or defective electric wiring. Following repairs, President Herbert Hoover and his aides returned to the West Wing on April 14, 1930.

This fire screen by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé forms part of the 53 piece suite purchased by President James Monroe in 1817. This photograph of the fire screen shows the piece during conservation treatment, with its upholstery and gilding removed. The White House Historical Association funded all aspects of this restoration.

This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows carpenters laying the flooring in the State Dining Room. The flooring is quartered white oak laid in a herringbone pattern. This work was part of President Harry S. Truman's large-scale 1948-1952 renovation of the White House.