This miniature watercolor on ivory portrait of William Thornton was created by Robert Field circa 1800. Dr. William Thornton was born in the British West Indies in 1759 and gained U.S. citizenship in 1787. Thornton moved to Washington, D.C. after President George Washington chose his design for the U.S. Capitol building and appointed him a city commissioner. Considered the "first architect of the Capitol," Thornton held the role of head of the Patent Office from 1802 until his death in 1828. William Thornton and the creator, Robert Field, were acquaintances. This portrait is a part of the White House Collection.

This composite features pieces from the White House Collection. This image was featured in the exhibition entitled "Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection". 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.

This composite features pieces from the White House Collection. This image was featured in the exhibition entitled "Slavery and Freedom in the White House Collection". 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.

This map showing the plan for the city of Washington, D.C. was published by John Reid (also referred to as I. Reid) around 1795, during George Washington's presidency. Though President Washington asked French-born architect Pierre Charles L'Enfant to design the new capital, L'Enfant clashed with many important stakeholders, including Thomas Jefferson, and eventually resigned his position. City planners consequently implemented the plan of surveyor Andrew Ellicott, depicted in this map. Ellicott's design very closely mirrored that of his predecessor, but L'Enfant did not receive any credit or payment for his contribution. Renewed interest in beautifying the nation's capital in the early 20th century, however, led to the revitalization of L'Enfant's vision, especially his plan for a "public walk," which became the National Mall.

This official portrait of President Barack Obama was painted by Robert McCurdy in 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Obama served as a United States senator from Illinois. On January 20, 2009, he became the first African American president and served two terms from 2009 to 2017. Both portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on September 7, 2022.

This official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama was painted by Sharon Sprung in 2018. A Chicago native, Obama earned degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Her husband, Barack Obama, served as president from January 20, 2009 until January 20, 2017. As first lady, Michelle Obama pursued initiatives focused on childhood obesity and healthy eating, support for service members and their families, and opportunity in education. Both portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were unveiled in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on September 7, 2022.

This painting is attributed to William Henry Powell (sometimes known as W.H. Powell), who was a New York City painter and trained under Henry Inman. The painting depicts a group of settlers and their horses around a covered wagon. An American Indian man is in the center of the group and pointing off into the distance, suggesting he is providing directions to the seated figure looking at a map. Powell's "Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto A.D. 1541" hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda.

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.

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 wall clock was custom made by the Chelsea Clock Company of Chelsea, Massachusetts in 2020 and was a gift of the White House Historical Association to the White House Collection. The clock hangs in the Ground Floor Corridor of the White House above the doorway leading to the president’s elevator. The face of the clock features an eagle on the upper half that was inspired by the James Monroe state service. White House calligraphers did the hand-lettering and numbering on the dial including the inscription “The President’s House” on the lower half of the clock’s face.

This is the intricately designed trompe-l’oeil marble top of a guéridon, or small table, made by Charles Honoré Lannuier circa 1810. This guéridon (small, circular French table) is made of mahogany, satinwood, rosewood, and possibly sycamore veneers, with gilded brass and marble. The table, a part of the White House Collection, also features an intricate Italian marble top and is considered a Lannuier masterpiece.

This glassware was part of a set ordered by President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 from the Morgantown Glassware Guild of Morgantown, West Virginia. The purchase of the elegant, simple set ended a long tradition of engraved glassware at the White House. The glassware became widely popular as many Americans purchased the same set for their households.

This wallpaper manufactured by Scalamandré of New York was in the Empire Room during the John F. Kennedy administration. The Empire Room is one of the guest bedrooms on the Third Floor of the White House. The red and white print is a contemporary version of the French early 19th-century Toile De Jouy pattern. This pattern, originally entitled "Hommage à Franklin," depicts scenes from the life and career of Benjamin Franklin and is partially based on a drawing in the White House Collection called "The Genius of Franklin" by French artist Jean-Honore Fragonard.

This firescreen by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé forms part of the 53 piece suite purchased by President James Monroe in 1817. This photograph of the firescreen 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 is of the reupholstery work in progress on a bergere in the Bellangé suite. A bergere is an armchair with upholstered and enclosed sides. The bergere is part of the 53-piece gilded beechwood suite President James Monroe purchased from Pierre-Antoine Bellangé in 1817.

This press release regarding the press preview and reception marking the re-opening of the Blue Room on May 15, 1972, was sent by the Office of the First Lady, Pat Nixon, on May 12, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. During the renovation the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 1 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.

This document regarding the press preview for the re-opening of the Blue Room was sent by the Office of the First Lady of the United States on May 12, 1972, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. It lists the recipients who would receive a schedule of the press tour, including White House Social Secretary Lucy Winchester, White House Chief Usher Rex Scouten, White House Curator Clement E. Conger, and Constance ("Connie") Stuart, First Lady Pat Nixon's press secretary. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 2 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.

This document regarding the press preview for the re-opening of the Blue Room was sent by the Office of the First Lady of the United States on May 12, 1972, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. It lists the anticipated schedule for the press preview, including First Lady Pat Nixon's anticipated activities, during the event of May 15, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 3 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254. Please see 1123264 for the second page of the schedule.

This document regarding the press preview for the re-opening of the Blue Room was sent by the Office of the First Lady of the United States on May 12, 1972, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. It lists the conclusion of the anticipated schedule for the press preview, including First Lady Pat Nixon's anticipated activities, for the event of May 15, 1972. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 4 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254. Please see 1123266 for the first page of the schedule.

This press release regarding the press preview and reception for the re-opening of the Blue Room was sent by the Office of the First Lady of the United States on May 15, 1972, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 7 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.

This document regarding the press preview for the re-opening of the Blue Room was sent by the Office of the First Lady of the United States on May 12, 1972, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. It lists major donors for the Blue Room renovation project, who were photographed in designated rooms in the White House following the press preview in the Blue Room on May 15, 1972. Additional donors were listed on the previous page. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 6 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254. Please see 1123255 for the first page of the donor list.

This schedule for President Richard M. Nixon was prepared by Deborah M. Sloan, wife of staff assistant to the president Hugh Sloan, for the evening of May 15, 1972. It outlines President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon's anticipated activities for a reception celebrating the re-opening of the Blue Room following a major renovation project. Please see 1123260 for the second page of the schedule. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by Mrs. Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 9 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.

This schedule for President Richard M. Nixon was prepared by Deborah M. Sloan, wife of staff assistant to the president Hugh Sloan, for the evening of May 15, 1972. It outlines President Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon's anticipated activities for a reception celebrating the re-opening of the Blue Room following a major renovation project. Please see 1123261 for page one of the schedule. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 10 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.

This document is a memorandum from White House Curator Clement E. Conger to First Lady Pat Nixon regarding attendees to the reception for the reopening of the Blue Room on May 15, 1972. Conger informed Mrs. Nixon that Odolph Blaylock, an accomplished master joiner who supervised the installation of woodwork in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the State Department and wife would attending. In addition, Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia, who completed the new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling of the Blue Room, would also be attending the evening reception. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 8 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.

This document outlines instructions for White House social aides for a reception held on the evening of May 15, 1972, to celebrate the completion of a major renovation project for the Blue Room of the White House. White House social aides are active members of the military, responsible for assisting with events at the White House. The instructions were submitted by Commander Craig S. Campbell of the United States Navy. The document includes a list of social aides assigned to the event. During the renovation, the Blue Room was closed from February 19, 1972, to May 15, 1972, during the Richard M. Nixon administration. The refurbished Blue Room’s style was inspired by the French Bellangé suite of furniture President James Monroe purchased for the room in 1817. The walls were covered with beige wallpaper, featuring an upper frieze with a flower and bowl design, and a lower border of pink flowers, cupids, and Greek figures. Blue curtains hung the length of the room. The room also included a new oval plaster design in the center of the ceiling completed by Herbert John Millard, a wood carver from Roswell, Georgia. The Blue Room's renovation was part a of larger project initiated by First Lady Pat Nixon to refurbish and renovate the White House's rooms and expand its collection. During her tenure as first lady, Mrs. Nixon acquired 600 paintings and furnishings for the White House Collection, and revamped the Red Room, Green Room, Map Room, and China Room. This document is page 13 of 13 from a compilation of files from the Office of the First Lady of the United States pertaining to the press preview and reception. For the full document, please see 1123254.