This wood engraving depicts President James Buchanan and Harriet Lane, his niece who served as White House hostess, inspecting gifts given to the United States by the Japanese delegation in the spring of 1860. This was the first visit to the United States by Japanese diplomats. The visit was a response to the 1852-1854 expedition to Japan by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry that resulted in an open trade treaty between the two nations. Some of the gifts visible in the engraving are katanas, saddles, and fabric. The caption at the bottom of the image is in German.

This 2011 oil on canvas painting by Peter Waddell depicts President James Buchanan with his niece, and White House hostess, Harriet Lane greeting three Japanese visitors to the White House. The Japanese diplomats arrived in the United States in the spring of 1860. The visit was a response to the 1852-1854 expedition to Japan by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry that resulted in an open trade treaty between the two nations. ***Interior use only for publications***

This photograph is of Harriet Lane, who was the niece and ward of President James Buchanan. After she finished her boarding school education, she began accompanying Buchanan to formal events. When Buchanan was elected president, Lane assumed the role of White House hostess and was popular with the American public. She married Elliot Johnston in 1866. In 1903, Lane donated her private art collection to the National Art Gallery which later became part of the Smithsonian Institution. As a result she was given the nickname "first lady of the National Collection of Fine Arts."

This lithograph published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in 1858 depicts the newly added White House Conservatory. In the print, presumably, is Harriet Lane, President James Buchanan's niece who served as White House hostess during his administration, standing in the Conservatory. The Conservatory was built during Buchanan's administration and stood on the grounds of what is today the West Colonnade and West Wing. The Conservatory had a small, 12 foot passage between the glass room and the Executive Mansion and served as a private space for first families of the era. P. Hall Baglie is credited with the tinting of this lithograph.

This is a sketch drawn by Albert Berghaus in February 1860 of a reception First Lady Harriet Lane held in the Blue Room following the dedication of the statue of George Washington. The statue was placed in Washington Circle and created by Clark Mill who is also known for the equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson in Lafayette Park. Berghaus was a prominent engraver who worked for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.