• The Carters with Prime Minister Thatcher in the Center Hall
    Karl Schumacher
    Yellow Oval Room
    State Visit
    State Dinner
    Second Floor
    Center Hall
    Head of State
    This photograph is of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter walking with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom out of the Yellow Oval Room through the Center Hall. Karl Shumacher took this picture on December 17, 1979. President Carter wore a black tuxedo, a pleated dress shirt, and a black bow tie. Notched lapels, though considered the least formal lapel style, were particularly trendy at the time, and black remained the standard color for formal wear. While Carter was known for his casual Southern style, he recognized the significance of dressing formally for diplomatic occasions. A strong supporter of State Dinners, Carter hosted 40 during his presidency, including the largest in White House history at the time with over 1,340 guests.
  • The Inauguration of John Quincy Adams
    Unknown
    newspaper
    documents
    article
    inaugurations
    This article is about the Inauguration of President John Quincy Adams and was published in Niles' Weekly Register on March 12, 1825. The article describes the events of the Inauguration and Adams's outfit which was a "plain suit of black". John Quincy Adams was the son of President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams. Prior to his presidency, President Adams was a diplomat to the Netherlands, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. He served as Secretary of State under President James Monroe and is the only president who went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives after being president. Adams represented his home state, Massachusetts, in the House.
  • President Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia
    Bernard Gotfryd
    travel
    meetings
    Presidential Visit
    Georgia
    This photograph of President Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia, was taken by Bernard Gotfryd on December 24, 1977. President Carter visited his hometown for a meeting with farmers who were part of the American Agriculture Movement. The group was formed to express their discontent with the 1977 Farm Bill, which reduced the price of commodities below the cost of production. Carter served as governor of Georgia prior to his term as president, which began on January 20, 1977 and ended January 20, 1981.
  • President Roosevelt Delievers a Speech in Waterville, Maine
    Underwood & Underwood
    speeches
    travel
    Maine
    This stereograph by Underwood & Underwood of President Theodore Roosevelt was taken circa 1902 during a visit to Waterville, Maine. During his presidency, Roosevelt wore formal attire for public outings. Here, he wears a dark frock coat and holds a top hat, which remained common for formal occasions, although the crown had become shorter by the 1890s. Around him, people in the crowd wear a range of hat styles, including the fedora, which was then growing in popularity. A former governor of New York, Roosevelt became president upon the assassination of William McKinley on September 14, 1901, and served until March 4, 1909.
  • President Roosevelt Passing Through the Canal Zone By Train
    W. A. Fishbaugh
    travel
    Presidential Visit
    Panama
    This photograph of President Theodore Roosevelt and others on the back of a train car in the Panama Canal Zone was taken in November 1906 by W. A. Fishbaugh (also referred to as William A. Fishbaugh). When President Roosevelt was photographed wearing a Panama hat during his trip to the Panama Canal in 1906, the image of the president helped make the hat even more fashionable, with its popularity enduring into the 21st century. The boater and Panama hat became more prevalent as clothing associated with sporting pursuits became acceptable daywear. With its origins in Ecuador, Panama hats were recommended to travelers to South America since the mid-19th century for their protection from the elements. A former governor of New York, Roosevelt became president upon the assassination of William McKinley on September 14, 1901, and served until March 4, 1909.
  • The Carters and Prime Minister Thatcher Seated During a State Dinner
    Karl Schumacher
    State Visit
    State Floor
    State Dinner
    State Dining Room
    Head of State
    This photograph is of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter conversing with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom in the State Dining Room during a State Dinner held in Thatcher's honor. Karl Shumacher took this picture on December 17, 1979. President Carter wore a black tuxedo, a pleated dress shirt, and a black bow tie. Notched lapels, though considered the least formal lapel style, were particularly trendy at the time, and black remained the standard color for formal wear. While Carter was known for his casual Southern style, he recognized the significance of dressing formally for diplomatic occasions. A strong supporter of State Dinners, Carter hosted 40 during his presidency, including the largest in White House history at the time with over 1,340 guests.
  • President Obama and National Security Team Monitor bin Laden Raid
    Pete Souza
    West Wing
    Situation Room
    Cabinet
    September 11
    counterterrorism
    In this photograph taken by Pete Souza, President Barack Obama and his national security team sit in the Situation Room to monitor a military raid lead by SEAL Team Six on the compound housing Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011. The group assembled in one of the several conference rooms that comprises the Situation Room, watching the raid live as it took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The military raid resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Seated in this photograph from left to right are: Vice President Joseph R. Biden; President Obama; Brig. Gen. Marshall B. Webb; Denis R. McDonough, deputy national security advisor; Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; and Secretary of Defense Robert Michael Gates. Standing behind them, from left right, are: Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; national security advisor Thomas E. Donilon; chief of staff Wiliam M. Daley; Antony J. Blinken, national security advisor to the vice president; Audrey Tomason, director for counterterrorism; John O. Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism; and Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper. A classified document on the table in front of Secretary Clinton has been obscured for security reasons.
  • The Inauguration of President George Washington
    Currier & Ives
    print
    inagurations
    This hand-colored lithograph by Currier & Ives was published in 1876 and depicts the Inauguration of President George Washington. Eleven men are depicted witnessing Washington taking the Oath of Office. He places his right hand on an open bible and holds a sword with his left hand. Figures noted in the key below the image include Alexander Hamilton, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman, Mr. Otis, John Adams, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Steuben, and General Henry Knox. Washington served as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He served as president from April 30, 1789 until March 4, 1797.
  • The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781
    John Trumbull
    paintings
    Revolutionary War
    This painting by John Trumbull depicts the surrender of General Cornwallis at Yorktown, marking the end of the Revolutionary War. The defeated British army marches between the Americans on the right, led by General George Washington, and the French on the left, led by General Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau. At the center, on horseback, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, Washington’s second-in-command, accepts the official surrender from General Lord Cornwallis’s deputy, General Charles O’Hara. According to historical accounts, Cornwallis had feigned illness on the occasion and passed the responsibility of surrender to O’Hara. Washington, recognizing the snub, directed O’Hara to Major General Lincoln, who accepted O’Hara’s sword and handed it back to him. Trumbull painted the portraits of the French officers directly onto the canvas in Thomas Jefferson’s house in Paris and regarded them as the "best of my small portraits."
  • State Dinner Honoring President Hu Jinato of China
    Chuck Kennedy
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    State Visit
    State Dinner
    This photograph by Chuck Kennedy was taken at a State Dinner held in honor of President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China on January 19, 2011. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed the Chinese president for an official State Visit, including an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House grounds earlier in the day. The State Dinner took place in the State Dining Room. Joining the Obamas and Hu Jintao at the central table beside the State Dining Room's fireplace were former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State (and former first lady) Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President Jimmy Carter, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter.
  • Table Settings for Dinner Celebrating 40th Anniversary of NEH and NEA
    Paul Morse
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    receptions
    In this photograph by Paul Morse, tables are set for a dinner celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The dinner took place in the State Dining Room of the White House on November 10, 2005 during the George W. Bush administration. First Lady Laura Bush selected pieces of the Ronald Reagan State China Service for each table setting and decorated the tables with centerpieces of vermeil vases adorned with roses. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 that established both independent government agencies.
  • President Johnson Delivers "The American Promise" Speech
    Cecil Stoughton
    speeches
    bills
    Washington, D.C.
    U.S. Capitol
    Congress
    This photograph by Cecil Stoughton is of President Lyndon B. Johnson at the speaker's podium in the House Chamber of the United States Capitol addressing a Joint Session of Congress on March 15, 1965. Johnson delivered the delivered his "Special Message to the Congress: The American Promise" speech, which urged the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The speech was broadcast nationwide.
  • Dr. Biden On Stage with Jon Batiste at France State Dinner
    Matthew D'Agostino
    State Visit
    State Dinner
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    In this photograph First Lady Dr. Jill Biden stands on stage with singer-songwriter Jon Batiste at a State Dinner held in honor of President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic on December 1, 2022. The State Dinner was part of Macron's official State Visit with President Joseph R. Biden, and was preceded earlier in the day by a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn and a joint press conference with Biden and Macron in the East Room of the White House. The State Dinner took place under a tent on the South Lawn and included decor in red, white, and blue - the common colors on the flags of the United States and France. Batiste performed for the honored guest. This was Biden's first State Visit as president. This photograph was taken by Matthew D'Agostino for the White House Historical Association.
  • President Biden Holds Joint Press Conference with President Macron
    Matthew D'Agostino
    press
    State Visit
    State Floor
    Head of State
    East Room
    In this photograph President Joseph R. Biden and President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic hold a joint press conference on December 1, 2022 in the East Room of the White House. The press conference was preceded by a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn where President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden welcomed Macron and Brigette Macron, spouse of the French president, for an official State Visit. The State Visit culminated in a State Dinner later that evening. This was Biden's first State Visit as president. This photograph is by Matthew D'Agostino for the White House Historical Association.
  • President Biden Speaks at State Arrival Ceremony
    Matthew D'Agostino
    State Visit
    State Arrival Ceremony
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Head of State
    In this photograph, President Joseph R. Biden speaks at the State Arrival Ceremony held for President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic on December 1, 2022. Macron can be seen on stage beside President Biden. The arrival ceremony, the first part of Macron's official State Visit, took place on the South Lawn and was followed by a press conference with President Biden and Macron and, later that evening, a State Dinner. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Brigette Macron, spouse to the president of France, were in attendance at the arrival ceremony and at the day's other events. This was Biden's first State Visit as president. This photograph was taken by Matthew D'Agostino for the White House Historical Association.
  • Arrival Ceremony in Honor of Queen Elizabeth II
    Joseph H. Bailey
    State Visit
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Head of State
    State Arrival Ceremony
    This photograph of President George H. W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain on the reviewing stand during an Arrival Ceremony held in her honor was taken by Joseph H. Bailey on May 14, 1991. The ceremony was held on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds. On the right side of the reviewing stand are Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and First Lady Barbara Bush. The Bushes also honored Queen Elizabeth's visit with a State Dinner in the evening. Her visit was the start of a13 day tour of the United States.
  • President Reagan Signs the Reparations Bill for Japanese-Americans
    Pete Souza
    signing
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building
    bills
    In this photograph by Pete Souza, President Ronald Reagan signs the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 on August 10, 1988 in room 450 of the Old Executive Office Building, now called the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 provided redress for the Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. Present at the signing were Senator Pete Wilson of California, Senator Spark M. Matsunaga of Hawaii, Representative Norman Yoshio Mineta of California, Representative Bill Lowery of California, and Representative Robert T. Matsui of California, among others.
  • President Obama Meets with Japanese-American World War II Veterans
    Pete Souza
    ceremonies
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    military
    In this photograph by Pete Souza, President Barack Obama returns the salute of Tommie Okabayashi in the Oval Office on February 18, 2014. Okabayashi was one of seven surviving Japanese American World War II veterans President Obama met with that day at the White House. In 2010, President Obama signed into law the legislation passed by Congress to reward the Congressional Gold Medal to the 33,000 second-generation Japanese American soldiers who fought in World War II. The Congressional Gold Medal is among the highest civilian awards given by the United States government.
  • Portrait of Liliʻuokalani, Queen of Hawai'i
    Unknown
    This portrait photograph of Liliʻuokalani, Queen of Hawai'i, was taken circa 1891, around the time of the beginning of her reign. Liliʻuokalani was the last sovereign of the Kingdom of Hawai'i before it was overthrown by the United States on January 17, 1893. She was the sister of Kalākaua, King of Hawai'i, who was the first head of state to be honored with a formal State Dinner, held in 1874 and hosted by President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady Julia Dent Grant at the White House. Liliʻuokalani herself would visit the White House on numerous occasions.
  • President Eisenhower Signs the Hawai'i Admission Act of 1959
    Abbie Rowe
    bill
    signing
    Oval Office
    West Wing
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of President Dwight D. Eisenhower signing the Hawai'i Admission Act of 1959 in the Oval Office was taken on March 18, 1959. Standing next to him is Henry R. McPhee, associate special counsel to President Eisenhower. In June of 1959 the citizens of Hawai'i voted on a referendum to accept the statehood bill and on August 21, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the official proclamation admitting Hawai'i as the 50th state. The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House.
  • President Eisenhower Formally Admits Hawai'i into the United States
    U.S. Army Pictorial Agency
    signing
    This photograph is of President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the signing of the proclamation formally admitting Hawai'i as the 50th state to join the union. Pictured with President Eisenhower are Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton, Representative Daniel K. Inouye of Hawai'i, Secretary of the Hawai'i Territory Edward E. Johnston, Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, Lt. Col. James S. Cook, Jr., and Lt. Gen. Andrew T. McNamara. This photograph was taken on August 21, 1959 by a member of the U.S. Army Pictorial Agency.
  • President Eisenhower Signs the Hawai'i Admission Act of 1959
    Abbie Rowe
    Oval Office
    West Wing
    signing
    bill
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of President Dwight D. Eisenhower signing the Hawai'i Admission Act of 1959 in the Oval Office was taken on March 18, 1959. Standing next to him is Henry R. McPhee, associate special counsel to President Eisenhower. In June of 1959 the citizens of Hawai'i voted on a referendum to accept the statehood bill and on August 21, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the official proclamation admitting Hawai'i as the 50th state. The Oval Office is located in the West Wing of the White House.
  • President Clinton Signs Official Apology to Native Hawaiians
    Sharon Farmer
    Oval Office
    bills
    signing
    commeration
    West Wing
    This photograph by Sharon Farmer of President Bill Clinton signing Public Law 103-150 in the Oval Office was taken on November 23, 1993. The resolution acknowledged the 100th anniversary of the January 17, 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i and offered an apology to Native Hawaiians on behalf of the United States. Vice President Al Gore joined President Clinton alongside Hawai'i's representatives in Congress: Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Representative Patsy T. Mink, and Representative Neil Abercrombie.
  • Black Cloth Composite
    White House Historical Association
    north view
    funerals
    WHHA
    State Floor
    North Portico
    East Room
    White House Collection
    This composite is made of fashion plates showing mourning wear, an illustration of the President Abraham's Lincoln lying in state in the East Room of the White House, and the North Portico draped in black cloth in mourning for President James Garfield. The image was used for the digital exhibit called "Black Cloth: Mourning Dress and Drapery at the White House." It may only be used for press and publicity purposes related to the exhibit. All other uses must be approved by the White House Historical Association in writing.
  • President Carter Arrives at Camp David to Discuss Iran Hostage Crisis
    Marion S. Trikosko
    Camp David
    travel
    meetings
    crisis & controversy
    This photograph by Marion S. Trikosko captures President Jimmy Carter arriving at Camp David in Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland on November 23, 1979. Accompanying President Carter on the helicopter trip from the White House to Camp David was, from left to right, Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance, and Vice President Walter F. Mondale. The group was on hand to meet and discuss the Iran Hostage Crisis, which began earlier that month, on November 4. The hostages would be held for 444 days, until January 20, 1981. Camp David was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, then called Shangri-La, as a presidential retreat. President Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed the retreat Camp David after his grandson, David Eisenhower.