This glass locket containing the hair of President Thomas Jefferson and his daughter Martha was acquired for the White House Collection in 1975 during the Gerald R. Ford presidency. The locket is attributed to Fossin et Fils, a prestigious Paris jewelry company that provided goods to King Louis-Philippe of France (1830–1848) as well as other European heads of state, and was produced circa 1825 to 1868.

This punch bowl was created by Tiffany and Company in 1874. The punch bowl features an intricate and realistic design of pine needles with eagle's heads and talons around the brim of the bowl. The design of the punch bowl is attributed to James H. Whitehouse and Eugene Soligny is attributed with the modeling and chasing. An "M" stamp at the bottom of the bowl indicates the bowl was made under the leadership of Edward C. Moore during his tenure at Tiffany and Company. This piece was donated to the White House Collection in 2005 during the George W. Bush administration.

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 selection of the 200th anniversary china was made by Lenox China of Trenton, New Jersey. President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton selected a state service with this design to celebrate the White House's 200th anniversary in 2000. Features in the photo from left to right across the back are a dessert plate, dinner plate, service late, fish plate and a salad plate. In front left to right are a cream soup cup and saucer, a teacup and its accompanying saucer.

This scrolled-back armchair was created by A. H. Davenport in 1902 during the Theodore Roosevelt administration. The armchair is one of six chairs ordered for the Green Room of the White House. The seats and backs were upholstered in tapestry fabric, making them the most expensive type of armchairs in the Green Room. The chairs were originally painted white but were later gilded in the 1930s.

This tall case clock by E. Howard Watch and Clock Company of Boston, Massachusetts was purchased for the White House in 1882 during the Chester A. Arthur administration. The clock was originally placed in the Cross Hall on the State Floor of the White House, where it remained until the 1930s when it was moved around to a number of rooms on the Ground Floor until 2003. President Arthur added a number of furnishings to the White House during his time office, though this clock was one of the few items to survive the 1902 White House renovation.

This silver sugar bowl, hot water urn, and kettle on a stand were part of a 12-piece service made for President Millard Fillmore and his wife, First Lady Abigail Fillmore, by the renowned New York firm Wood & Hughes. They purchased the service, which is engraved with their names, circa 1858, after Fillmore left office. Mrs. Fillmore used the proceeds from the sale of a horse and carriage in 1850 to purchase the set. The urn was acquired for the White House by the White House Historical Association in 1973.

These French porcelain serving pieces, including a dinner dish, vegetable dish, soup plate, dessert stand, fruit basket, and dessert plate, were made for the White House by Edouard D. Honoré of Paris in 1846. President James K. Polk ordered this pattern for the state service. The pieces feature gilded rims molded in a scroll design and light green details, as well as a version of the shield from the Great Seal of the United States, although this one contains stars in the chief which are not present on the Great Seal or Presidential Seal, and the scroll containing the motto "E Pluribus Unum." The dessert plates also included a large, hand-painted flower.

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 photograph shows two coconut chocolate squares, a popular dessert cookie prepared by White House Executive Pastry Chef Ronald Mesnier and the White House Pastry Shop for Christmas parties during the Bill Clinton administration. Baked in advance months before the holidays, the crowd-pleasing dessert is frozen to easily serve at large receptions. The dessert consists of a base made from pâte sucrée mixed with coconut and orange marmalade, topped with a dark chocolate ganache.

This photograph shows a plate of hazelnut crescents, a dessert cookie served at White House Christmas parties. Due to their immense popularity, White House Executive Pastry Chef Ronald Mesnier and the White House Pastry Shop typically prepared thousands of these cookies each holiday season. Ingredients in the crumbly cookies included hazelnut flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and confectioner's sugar.

This photograph shows two Florentine squares, a popular dessert cookie prepared by White House Executive Pastry Chef Ronald Mesnier and the White House Pastry Shop for Christmas and holiday parties. Made from pâte sucrée topped with a filling made from dried fruits, nuts, and honey, the dessert is often made in bulk and frozen to accommodate large parties.

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 is a kakemono panel (also known as a vertical hanging scroll) containing either text or a painting, intended to be viewed on a wall and rolled when not in use. It was created in 1872 by the artist Utagawa Kunitsuru and depicts a pheasant among flowering branches. This is one of a set of six paintings displayed in the dining room of Decatur House and remain a part of the Decatur House Collection. After nearly 150 years, they began to deteriorate, but with funding provided by the Sumitomo Foundation, they were conserved to their original state.

This is a kakemono panel (also known as a vertical hanging scroll) containing either text or a painting, intended to be viewed on a wall and rolled when not in use. It was created in 1872 by the artist Utagawa Kunitsuru and depicts a woman holding a parasol during a gentle snowfall. This is one of a set of six paintings displayed in the dining room of Decatur House and remain a part of the Decatur House Collection. After nearly 150 years, they began to deteriorate, but with funding provided by the Sumitomo Foundation, they were conserved to their original state.

This is a kakemono panel (also known as a vertical hanging scroll) containing either text or a painting, intended to be viewed on a wall and rolled when not in use. It was created in 1872 by the artist Utagawa Kunitsuru and depicts a woman holding the three-stringed instrument or shamisen. This is one of a set of six paintings displayed in the dining room of Decatur House and remain a part of the Decatur House Collection. After nearly 150 years, they began to deteriorate, but with funding provided by the Sumitomo Foundation, they were conserved to their original state.

This is a kakemono panel (also known as a vertical hanging scroll) containing either text or a painting, intended to be viewed on a wall and rolled when not in use. It was created in 1872 by the artist Utagawa Kunitsuru and depicts two cranes beneath a crabapple tree. This is one of a set of six paintings displayed in the dining room of Decatur House and remain a part of the Decatur House Collection. After nearly 150 years, they began to deteriorate, but with funding provided by the Sumitomo Foundation, they were conserved to their original state.

This is a kakemono panel (also known as a vertical hanging scroll) containing either text or a painting, intended to be viewed on a wall and rolled when not in use. It was created in 1872 by the artist Utagawa Kunitsuru and depicts a woman braving a snowstorm. This is one of a set of six paintings displayed in the dining room of Decatur House and remain a part of the Decatur House Collection. After nearly 150 years, they began to deteriorate, but with funding provided by the Sumitomo Foundation, they were conserved to their original state.

This is a kakemono panel (also known as a vertical hanging scroll) containing either text or a painting, intended to be viewed on a wall and rolled when not in use. It was created in 1872 by the artist Utagawa Kunitsuru and depicts a man with swords near a flowering tree. This is one of a set of six paintings displayed in the dining room of Decatur House and remain a part of the Decatur House Collection. After nearly 150 years, they began to deteriorate, but with funding provided by the Sumitomo Foundation, they were conserved to their original state.

This parquet flooring and wood representation of the great seal of California was installed in the Decatur House dining room between 1872 and 1874. It was part of several changes Edward Fitzgerald Beale and his wife, Mary Edwards Beale instituted after they purchased the property in 1871. The Beales were the last family to own Decatur House. Completed in 1818, Decatur House was the third building on Lafayette Square and its first private residence. It was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect of the Capitol and several other famous buildings, for Commodore Stephen Decatur (1779-1820) and his wife, Susan Wheeler Decatur. Tragically, on March 22, 1820 Stephen Decatur was mortally wounded during a duel. After his death, his widow Susan Decatur rented out the house to foreign ministers and several secretaries of state. The house was eventually sold and passed through several hands, including the Gadsby family, the U.S. Subsistence Bureau, and the Beale family. Marie Ogle Beale, a society maven and the last owner left the house to National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1961. In 2010, the White House Historical Association and National Trust entered into a co-stewardship arrangement of Decatur House.

This is a menu from the dinner held in honor of the President Vladimir Putin of Russia, and his wife Lyudmila Aleksandrovna on November 14, 2001 during the George W. Bush administration. Chef Matthew Wendel prepared peppered beef tenderloin and fried catfish for the occasion. Wendel became acquainted with the Bush family in 1995, while working at the Governor's Mansion in Austin, Texas, as a waiter-caterer with the Word of Mouth catering company. After Bush was elected president in 2000, Wendel prepared comforting meals for the first family during their trips to Camp David and during visits home to the Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas.