This bergère by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris is part of a 53-piece gilded beechwood suite ordered for the Oval Room (later called the Blue Room) by President James Monroe in 1817. A bergère is an armchair with upholstered and enclosed sides. The bergère is one of two made for the president and first lady. The bergère was photographed by Bruce White in the Blue Room of the White House.

This carved and gilded beechwood pier table is of the French Empire style and was manufactured by Pierre-Antoine Bellange of Paris. This table is the only piece of the 53-piece Bellange suite purchased by President James Monroe that has always remained in the White House.

This silver wine cooler was made by French silversmith Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot between 1798 and 1809. James Monroe, who served as president from 1817 to 1825, owned the wine cooler, and later sold it to the government for use at the White House. The wine cooler is engraved with the words "President's House" and features sculptural elements, a hallmark of Odiot's work.

This gilded bronze and mirrored plateau or centerpiece was made by the Parisian firm Denière et Matelin circa 1817, during James Monroe's presidency. Elements of the plateau may have been based on designs by the famed French architects Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine, who completed many commissions for Napoleon. Visitors marveled over the elegant piece, shown here in the White House State Dining Room.

This gilded beechwood armchair is part of the 53-piece suite of Pierre-Antoine Bellange furniture that future president James Monroe purchased while serving as United States minister to France and later brought with him to the White House. Many pieces remain in the White House Collection. This particular chair is upholstered in fabric inspired by the chair's original crimson upholstery.

This detailed closeup is of a black marble and malachite mantel clock. The clock has three dials (clock, calendar, and barometer) and a thermometer and was made in France. It was purchased from retailer Browne & Spaulding of New York City for the mantelpiece in the Cabinet Room during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Until the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the Cabinet Room was on the east end of the Second Floor in the Executive Mansion.

This gilded beechwood armchair is part of the 53-piece suite of Pierre-Antoine Bellange furniture that future president James Monroe purchased while serving as United States minister to France and later brought with him to the White House. Many pieces remain in the White House Collection. This particular chair is upholstered in fabric inspired by the chair's original crimson upholstery.

This gilded beechwood armchair is part of the 53-piece suite of Pierre-Antoine Bellange furniture that future president James Monroe purchased while serving as United States minister to France and later brought with him to the White House. Many pieces remain in the White House Collection. This particular chair is upholstered in fabric inspired by the chair's original crimson upholstery.

This detailed closeup is of a black marble and malachite mantel clock. The clock has three dials (clock, calendar, and barometer) and a thermometer and was made in France. It was purchased from retailer Browne & Spaulding of New York City for the mantelpiece in the Cabinet Room during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Until the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the Cabinet Room was on the east end of the Second Floor in the Executive Mansion.

This gilded beechwood armchair is part of the 53-piece suite of Pierre-Antoine Bellange furniture that future president James Monroe purchased while serving as United States minister to France and later brought with him to the White House. Many pieces remain in the White House Collection. This particular chair is upholstered in fabric inspired by the chair's original crimson upholstery.

This photograph taken during the Clinton Administration shows conservation work being done on one of Pierre-Antoine Bellangé's chairs made for the Blue Room. President James Monroe purchased 53 pieces of furniture for the White House from Bellangé in Paris in 1817.

This sofa and armchair set of gilded beechwood by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris were purchased during the James Monroe administration for the Blue Room.

This gilded bronze mantel clock by Jean-Baptiste Dubuc of Paris prominently displays an eagle and President George Washington. The eagle, likely inspired by the Great Seal of the United States, bears a shield and holds an olive branch in one talon and a group of arrows in the other. It stands balanced on a globe and faces to the left, toward Washington and the talon containing the arrows. Under the dial is an inscription from General Henry Lee's funeral oration for Washington: "Washington./ First in War./ First in Peace./ First in the Hearts of His Countrymen." The scene in relief on the base depicts Washington resigning his commission as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army on December 23, 1783.

This is a tea box lined with French woodblock wallpaper. The box is believed to have been made in China circa 1811 while the wallpaper lining it is believed to be one of the only surviving artifacts from the pre-1814 President's House. First Lady Dolley Madison reportedly gave the wallpaper as a gift to Mary Latrobe, her friend and wife of architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The inscription written on the wallpaper reads: "Paper upon the Drawing Room of the President's House in Mr. Madison's time. Given to my mother by Mrs. Madison." This was written by the Latrobes' daughter, Julia. The tea box was returned to the White House as a gift from the White House Historical Association in 1971. The wallpaper in the box is by Jacquemart de Benard from circa 1809 to 1811.

This is a tea box lined with French woodblock wallpaper. The box is believed to have been made in China circa 1811 while the wallpaper lining it is believed to be one of the only surviving artifacts from the pre-1814 President's House. First Lady Dolley Madison reportedly gave the wallpaper as a gift to Mary Latrobe, her friend and wife of architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The inscription written on the wallpaper reads: "Paper upon the Drawing Room of the President's House in Mr. Madison's time. Given to my mother by Mrs. Madison." This was written by the Latrobes' daughter, Julia. The tea box was returned to the White House as a gift from the White House Historical Association in 1971. The wallpaper in the box is by Jacquemart de Benard from circa 1809 to 1811.

These gilded bronze candelabra were purchased by President Monroe’s French agents during his presidency. The two surviving pairs each feature classically draped women. The candelabrum on the left is one of the more expensive pair ordered for Monroe's Oval Room (now known as the Blue Room) and is decorated with military trophies in relief at the base. Though they are not marked, they resemble possible examples by Pierre-Phillipe Thomire of Thomire & Co. The candelabrum on the right is one of a pair ordered for what is now called the Red Room.

This carved and gilded beechwood pier table is of the French Empire style and was manufactured by Pierre-Antoine Bellange of Paris. This table is the only piece of the Bellange suite that has always remained in the White House, and it is photographed here in the Entrance Hall with the gilded bronze clock with Minerva.

This armchair and bergère by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris are two of a 53-piece gilded beechwood suite ordered for the Oval Room (later called the Blue Room). The bergère is one of two made for the president and first lady.

The case of this gilded bronze mantel clock was made by Denière et Matelin of Paris. The figure standing beside the clock housing is Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and a famed war strategist of the ancient world. The clock commemorates Hannibal's great victories during the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage.

This gilded bronze clock by Thomire and Co. of Paris has works by Louis Moinet and depicts Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom. It was purchased during the Monroe Administration.

This armchair with enclosed and upholstered sides by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris was purchased by James Monroe in 1817.

This bergère by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris is part of a 53-piece gilded beechwood suite ordered for the Oval Room (later called the Blue Room). The bergère is one of two made for the president and first lady.

This close up is of the inscription written on a woodblock wallpaper tea box, which is one of the only surviving artifacts from the pre-1814 President's House. First Lady Dolley Madison gave this as a gift to Mary Latrobe, her friend and wife of architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe. The inscription written on the wallpaper reads: "Paper upon the Drawing Room of the President's House in Mr. Madison's time. Given to my mother by Mrs. Madison." This was written by the Latrobes' daughter, Julia. The tea box was returned to the White House as a gift from the White House Historical Association in 1971.

This is the makers mark for a gilded bronze mantel clock made by Denière et Matelin of Paris that features a figurine of Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander and a famed war strategist in the ancient world.

This side chair by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé was placed in the Blue Room. President James Monroe imported a suite of gilded beechwood furniture by the noted Parisian cabinetmaker, Pierre-Antoine Bellangé as well as of a table plateau, vases, clocks, tables, gold centerpieces, and candelabrum to create a splendid setting for social events.