• 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.
  • Mrs. Obama Announces the Academy Award for Best Picture
    Pete Souza
    arts & culture
    Ground Floor
    Diplomatic Reception Room
    ceremonies
    merits & awards
    In this photograph by Pete Souza, First Lady Michelle Obama announces the Academy Award winner for Best Picture on February 24, 2013. Her appearance on the live televised Oscar ceremony was filmed in the Diplomatic Reception Room on the Ground Floor of the White House. The winner of Best Picture, "Argo", was a film about the rescue of six United States diplomats who sought safety at the home of the Canadian ambassador to Iran during the 1979 to 1981 Iran Hostage Crisis in Tehran.
  • Lieutenant James Earl Carter, Jr.
    Unknown
    portrait
    military
    This portrait photograph of future president Jimmy Carter was taken during his time in the United States Navy. Carter graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946. He began his military career as an ensign on a submarine and rose to the rank of lieutenant in 1952 before resigning from the Navy upon the death of his father in 1953. The inscription in the bottom right corner is written to Carter's wife and future first lady Rosalynn Carter. It reads, "Darling, I love you with all my heart - for all my life. Jimmy".
  • Wedding Reception for Jenna Bush and Henry Hager
    Eric Draper
    State Floor
    Blue Room
    celebrations
    weddings
    receptions
    This photograph of Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, and her husband Henry Hager was taken by Eric Draper on June 21, 2008. The couple are captured cutting a wedding cake at their wedding reception in the Blue Room of the White House. Bush and Hager married the previous month, on May 10, 2008, at her family's Crawford, Texas ranch in front of 200 guests. The White House reception included 600 guests, a performance by the U.S. Marine Band, and a dance between the bride and her father.
  • Lynda Johnson and Chuck Robb Cutting Wedding Cake
    Unknown
    wedding
    military
    East Room
    State Floor
    This photograph of Lynda Johnson and Capt. Charles S. Robb cutting their wedding cake was taken on December 9, 1967 in the East Room. Per Marine Corps tradition, the couple uses a saber to cut through the five-layer cake, as they become the 15th couple to be married in the White House. Immediately following the cake-cutting ceremony, the couple performed their first dance.
  • President Carter with Grandson Jason in the Rose Garden
    Unknown
    First Family
    South Grounds
    Rose Garden
    This photograph of President Jimmy Carter was taken on October 7, 1977. President Carter is captured holding his grandson, Jason Carter, in the Rose Garden just outside the Oval Office. Jason, the son of Carter's eldest son, Jack, was two years old when this photograph was taken.
  • The Carter Family at the Democratic National Convention
    Warren K. Leffler
    First Family
    New York City
    New York
    This photograph of the Carter family was taken by Warren K. Leffler at the Democratic National Convention in New York City on July 15, 1976. In the photograph is soon-to-be president Jimmy Carter kissing his wife, Rosalynn Carter. They are surrounded by family, including President Carter's mother, Lillian, and their children Jack, James Earl III (Chip), Donnel, and Amy. Carter would go on to defeat President Gerald R. Ford in the presidential election that November and, on January 20, 1977, would be inaugurated as the 39th President of the United States.
  • The Carter Family Rafting the Salmon River
    Unknown
    travel
    leisure
    Idaho
    This photograph is of the Carter family rafting down the Salmon River in Idaho on August 23, 1978. In the raft are President Jimmy Carter (standing at left), First Lady Rosalynn Carter (seated, left, with sunglasses), and daughter Amy (seated at left in the front). The family rafted the Middle Fork of the Salmon River as part of a vacation out west that also included a stay in Wyoming and the Grand Tetons.
  • President Carter with Grandson Jason at the 1977 Easter Egg Roll
    Unknown
    south lawn
    South Grounds
    Easter Egg Roll
    holidays
    First Family
    This photograph of President Jimmy Carter was taken on April 11, 1977. President Carter is captured holding his grandson, Jason Carter, on his shoulders at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds. Carter and his grandson are surrounded by a crowd of attendees and security. Jason, the son of Carter's eldest son, Jack, was around one and a half years old when this photograph was taken.
  • President Carter and Amy Carter Learn to Speed Read
    Unknown
    West Wing
    First Family
    Cabinet Room
    leisure
    In this photograph taken on February 22, 1977, President Jimmy Carter and his daughter, Amy Carter, participate in a speed reading course in the Cabinet Room. During his time in office, President Carter took a night course -- along with Amy -- to learn how to speed read. Carter learned speed reading in order to keep on top of all the paperwork, memoranda, and correspondences that were required as a part of his responsibilities as President of the United States. The Cabinet Room is located in the West Wing of the White House.
  • The Carter Family
    Unknown
    First Family
    This is an undated photograph of future president Jimmy Carter. In this photograph, Carter poses alongside his siblings and mother. From left to right are: his sister Ruth Carter Stapleton, Jimmy Carter, mother Lillian Carter, his brother Billy Carter, and his sister Gloria Carter Spann.
  • President Carter Lights First National Menorah
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    Hanukkah
    menorah
    Lafayette Park
    In this photograph, President Jimmy Carter lights a menorah in celebration of Hanukkah on December 17, 1979. This was the first lighting of the National Menorah, and took place in Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. President Carter, in dressed in a tuxedo for a State Dinner held in honor of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, put on an overcoat and walked across the street to the ceremony, which featured a small crowd of a few dozen. The lighting of the National Menorah historically takes place on the Ellipse and is overseen by a politician of the Jewish faith.
  • Mrs. Carter Chairs Mental Health Hearings
    Unknown
    First Lady Visit
    initiatives
    meetings
    In this photograph, First Lady Rosalynn Carter chairs a hearing on mental health on January 17, 1978. Mrs. Carter was appointed the honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health by her husband, President Jimmy Carter, in 1977. During her time in the White House, Mrs. Carter dedicated her time focusing on the issues surrounding mental health, childhood immunization, and advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment, among many other initiatives.
  • Mrs. Carter Works in her East Wing Office
    Unknown
    East Wing
    staff
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    In this photograph, First Lady Rosalynn Carter works in her East Wing office on March 17, 1977. Seated at her desk, Mrs. Carter is captured alongside her personal assistant, Madeline McBean. Mrs. Carter was credited with establishing the Office of the First Lady through the passing of the White House Personnel Authorization Act of 1978. Previously, there had been no formal allocation of staff and resources to support the work of the first lady.
  • President and Mrs. Carter with the 1979 Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    Christmas
    decorations
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Blue Room
    State Floor
    This photograph of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter was taken in the Blue Room of the White House on December 13, 1979. In the photograph, President and Mrs. Carter pose in front of the Blue Room Christmas Tree while attending a Christmas Party for the White House Press Corps.
  • Mrs. Carter Previews the 1978 Christmas Decorations
    Jack E. Kightlinger
    Blue Room
    State Floor
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    winter holidays
    decorations
    Christmas
    In this photograph taken on December 12, 1978, First Lady Rosalynn Carter displays a Christmas ornament in the Blue Room of the White House. Mrs. Carter was on hand to preview the holiday decorations for the press. The Blue Room Christmas Tree that year displayed antique toys on loan from the Margaret Woodbury Stone Museum, now known as the Strong Museum of National Play, in Rochester, New York.
  • Young Jimmy Carter at his Naval Academy Graduation Ceremony
    Unknown
    military
    merits & awards
    In this photograph taken on June 5, 1946, future president Jimmy Carter has his ensign lapels pinned by Rosalynn Carter, left, then known by her maiden name Rosalynn Smith, and Lillian Carter, right, his mother, at his graduation ceremony from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Jimmy Carter would go on to serve in the Navy until 1956, when he took over his family's businesses including peanut farming. Carter served as governor of Georgia prior to his term as president, which began on January 20, 1977 and ended January 20, 1981.
  • President Biden Greets Guests at 2023 Turkey Pardon Ceremony
    Matthew D'Agostino
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Turkey Pardon
    Thanksgiving
    This photograph of the President Joseph R. Biden greeting guests at the 2023 turkey pardon ceremony was taken by Matthew D’Agostino on November 20, 2023 on the South Lawn of the White House. President Joseph R. Biden oversaw the ceremony alongside Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF), and Jennie-O Turkey Store vice president Jose Rojas. During the ceremony, President Biden formally “pardoned” the official National Thanksgiving Turkey, Liberty, and the alternate, Bell. Liberty and Bell were raised by Jennie-O in Willmar, Minnesota. After the ceremony, the turkeys were transferred to the University of Minnesota to be looked after and cared for the remainder of their lives. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the turkey pardon, however, dates to 1863—when President Abraham Lincoln offered clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the George H. W. Bush administration.
  • President Biden Greets Guests at 2023 Turkey Pardon Ceremony
    Matthew D'Agostino
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Turkey Pardon
    Thanksgiving
    This photograph of the President Joseph R. Biden greeting guests at the 2023 turkey pardon ceremony was taken by Matthew D’Agostino on November 20, 2023 on the South Lawn of the White House. President Joseph R. Biden oversaw the ceremony alongside Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF), and Jennie-O Turkey Store vice president Jose Rojas. During the ceremony, President Biden formally “pardoned” the official National Thanksgiving Turkey, Liberty, and the alternate, Bell. Liberty and Bell were raised by Jennie-O in Willmar, Minnesota. After the ceremony, the turkeys were transferred to the University of Minnesota to be looked after and cared for the remainder of their lives. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the turkey pardon, however, dates to 1863—when President Abraham Lincoln offered clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the George H. W. Bush administration.
  • President Biden Greets Guests at 2023 Turkey Pardon Ceremony
    Matthew D'Agostino
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Turkey Pardon
    Thanksgiving
    This photograph of the President Joseph R. Biden greeting guests at the 2023 turkey pardon ceremony was taken by Matthew D’Agostino on November 20, 2023 on the South Lawn of the White House. President Joseph R. Biden oversaw the ceremony alongside Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF), and Jennie-O Turkey Store vice president Jose Rojas. During the ceremony, President Biden formally “pardoned” the official National Thanksgiving Turkey, Liberty, and the alternate, Bell. Liberty and Bell were raised by Jennie-O in Willmar, Minnesota. After the ceremony, the turkeys were transferred to the University of Minnesota to be looked after and cared for the remainder of their lives. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the turkey pardon, however, dates to 1863—when President Abraham Lincoln offered clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the George H. W. Bush administration.
  • President Biden Greets Guests at 2023 Turkey Pardon Ceremony
    Matthew D'Agostino
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Turkey Pardon
    Thanksgiving
    This photograph of the President Joseph R. Biden greeting guests at the 2023 turkey pardon ceremony was taken by Matthew D’Agostino on November 20, 2023 on the South Lawn of the White House. President Joseph R. Biden oversaw the ceremony alongside Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF), and Jennie-O Turkey Store vice president Jose Rojas. During the ceremony, President Biden formally “pardoned” the official National Thanksgiving Turkey, Liberty, and the alternate, Bell. Liberty and Bell were raised by Jennie-O in Willmar, Minnesota. After the ceremony, the turkeys were transferred to the University of Minnesota to be looked after and cared for the remainder of their lives. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the turkey pardon, however, dates to 1863—when President Abraham Lincoln offered clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the George H. W. Bush administration.
  • President Biden Greets Guests at 2023 Turkey Pardon Ceremony
    Matthew D'Agostino
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Turkey Pardon
    Thanksgiving
    This photograph of the President Joseph R. Biden greeting guests at the 2023 turkey pardon ceremony was taken by Matthew D’Agostino on November 20, 2023 on the South Lawn of the White House. President Joseph R. Biden oversaw the ceremony alongside Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation (NTF), and Jennie-O Turkey Store vice president Jose Rojas. During the ceremony, President Biden formally “pardoned” the official National Thanksgiving Turkey, Liberty, and the alternate, Bell. Liberty and Bell were raised by Jennie-O in Willmar, Minnesota. After the ceremony, the turkeys were transferred to the University of Minnesota to be looked after and cared for the remainder of their lives. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays since the 1870s. The origin of the turkey pardon, however, dates to 1863—when President Abraham Lincoln offered clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the George H. W. Bush administration.