• Emigrant Scene
    W. H. Powell
    American Indians
    painting
    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.
  • Jane Irwin Harrison
    Unknown
    portrait
    painting
    This portrait of Jane Irwin Harrison by an unknown artist was completed c. 1841–42. Jane Findlay Irwin Harrison served as the official White House hostess briefly in 1841, during father-in-law President William Henry Harrison’s administration. She had lived with her in-laws following the death of her husband, William Henry Harrison Jr., and accompanied the president-elect to Washington, D.C. There, she received glowing reviews for the two receptions that she hosted with the help of her aunt, Jane Irwin Findlay. Her time as de-facto first lady was cut short, however, when President Harrison died on April 4, 1841, after only a month in office. With flowers placed at each ear and a veil pulled back from her face, this portrait was probably made to celebrate Jane Harrison’s second marriage, to widower Lewis Whiteman, following her return to North Bend, Ohio. Just a few years later, she succumbed to tuberculosis at age 42.
  • Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison
    Unknown
    portrait
    painting
    This is a portrait of First Lady Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison, dressed in mourning was painted by an unknown artist, ca. 1820. Anna Tuthill Symmes Harrison was married to President William Henry Harrison and was the grandmother of President Benjamin Harrison. Mrs. Harrison was 65 years old when her husband was elected president making her, at the time, the oldest woman to become first lady. When President Harrison was inaugurated in March of 1841, Mrs. Harrison remained in Ohio due to poor health. She had temporarily placed her widowed daughter-in-law Jane Irwin Harrison in charge of being the hostess. Mrs. Harrison did not recover in time to reside in the White House before President Harrison passed away a month after his inauguration.
  • Maison du Commodore Stephen Decatur, Washington, June 1822
    E. Vaile
    Washington, D.C.
    Decatur House
    painting
    This painting of Decaur House was created by E. Vaile in June 1822. A man stands at the door, as a carriage approaches. Completed in 1818, Decatur House was the third building on Lafayette Square and its first private residence. Decatur House was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the architect of the Capitol and several other famous buildings, for Commodore Stephen Decatur and his wife, Susan. Tragically, in 1820 Stephen Decatur was mortally wounded during a duel and his widow Susan subsequently 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 co-stewardship arrangement and the house now serves as the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History.
  • Kakemono Panel: A Pheasant in Flowering Branches
    Utagawa Kunitsuru
    painting
    Decatur House
    textiles
    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.
  • Kakemono Panel: Woman Holding a Parasol
    Utagawa Kunitsuru
    painting
    Decatur House
    textiles
    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.
  • Kakemono Panel: Woman With A Shamisen
    Utagawa Kunitsuru
    painting
    Decatur House
    textiles
    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.
  • Kakemono Panel: A Pair of Cranes Under A Crabapple Tree
    Utagawa Kunitsuru
    painting
    Decatur House
    textiles
    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.
  • Kakemono Panel: Woman in A Snowstorm
    Utagawa Kunitsuru
    painting
    Decatur House
    textiles
    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.
  • Kakemono Panels: Man With Swords
    Utagawa Kunitsuru
    painting
    Decatur House
    textiles
    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.
  • Horses Quenching Their Thirst, Camels Disdaining, Decatur House Collection
    Ernest E. de F. Narjot
    painting
    Decatur House
    This oil on canvas painting of the U.S. Camel Corps was completed by Ernest E. de F. Narjot in 1867. The painting depicts horses drinking eagerly with camels in the background. The painting highlights the usefulness of camels as back animals in the American southwest during military operations and had been championed by Gen. Edward Beale. Beale was a western adventurer naval officer, explorer, frontiersman, superintendent of Indian affairs, California rancher, and later a diplomat. Beale would help form the U.S. Camel Corp and the experiment lasted from 1856-1866. This painting commemorates the corps and is part of the Decatur House Collection. The Decatur House, which is also home to the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History, was completed in 1818. It 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.
  • Going to Church
    George Henry Durrie
    landscape
    snow
    This rural landscape by George Henry Durrie was completed in 1853. A native of New England, Durrie often presented idyllic images of farm life, quiet refuges from America's rapid industrialization and escalating social and political tensions. This winter scene depicts members of a small town heading to church on foot and in horse-drawn sleighs.
  • The President's House
    Unknown
    White House
    south view
    This oil painting by an unknown artist after William Bartlett shows a south view of the White House from the river. It was done during Andrew Jackson's presidency (1829-1837).
  • The White House in Spring
    Guy C. Wiggins
    White House
    south view
    This painting by Guy C. Wiggins is of the South Portico of the White House in springtime. The green grass and budding trees frame the White House, which has a large American flag flying above it. Three of his paintings are in the White House Collection.
  • The President's House From the River
    Unknown
    White House
    south view
    This painting of the White House from the south is framed in a unique oval shape. The House itself appears distant, with no distinguishing features around the windows or South Portico. Three small boats float along the river in the foreground.
  • The White House
    Unknown
    White House
    south view
    This watercolor by an unknown artist shows the South Portico of the White House during the late 1800s. The watercolor is based after an engraving by V. Foulquier. The conservatory building is visible to the west of the house, but the East Wing and East Corridor are not yet present. Several well-dressed women converse on the lawn while a man and a woman pass each other on horseback in the center of the frame.
  • Three-Master American Barque
    W. J. Bennett
    seascapes
    ships
    painting
    This seascape of a three-masted American ship, or barque, is attributed to W.J. Bennett, also known as William James Bennett. Dark clouds, high seas, and full sails suggest a stormy day as the ship navigates around a number of smaller vessels. Bennett was a British-born painter active in America and was a member of the National Academy of Design in New York City.
  • The Avenue in the Rain
    Childe Hassam
    New York
    Impressionism
    flags
    painting
    New York City
    This painting of American flags on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is by one of the most prominent American Impressionists of the early 20th century, Frederick Childe Hassam (known to many as Childe Hassam). The painting depicts both flags hanging on Fifth Avenue as well as reflections of the flags in water following a rainstorm. The Avenue in the Rain is one of 30 flag paintings of his that coincided with World War I. Fifth Avenue in New York City was frequently decorated with American flags at the time, as the United States debated entry into the war. This piece was completed in February of 1917, barely two months before Congress declared war on Germany on April 6th. Six Hassam pieces are in the White House Collection.
  • Hands Up! -- The Capture of Finnigan
    Frederic Remington
    painting
    This oil painting of an Old American West cowboy scene is by Frederic Remington. Remington, often referred to as Frederic Sackrider Remington, was a prolific painter of the American West and he focused primarily on subjects such as cowboys, American Indians, and the military. The painting is based on an account in future president Theodore Roosevelt's 1888 book Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail about his successful pursuit and capture of three thieves who had cut his boat loose from its mooring and taken it down the Little Missouri River. Remington and Roosevelt became close friends during this period. Three Remington pieces are in the White House Collection.
  • The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4, 1776
    Charles-Edouard Armand-Dumaresq
    Philadelphia
    Pennsylvania
    Declaration of Independence
    American Revolution
    painting
    This painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 is by artist Charles-Edouard Armand-Dumaresq. Also in the White House Collection is a sketch that may be a draft by the artist for this work. The painting depicts the delegates actively debating and voting on the Declaration. Armand-Dumaresq was a French painter who visited the United States in the 1870s.
  • Street Scene in Winter (Snowstorm, New York)
    Childe Hassam
    snow
    New York
    New York City
    Impressionism
    painting
    This landscape painting is by noted American Impressionist Frederick Childe Hassam (often referred to as Childe Hassam). It shows a snow-covered New York street. The central figure appears to be a young boy slogging his way through the storm. Six Hassam pieces are in the White House Collection.
  • The Capitol at Night
    Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr.
    watercolor
    painting
    Washington, D.C.
    U.S. Capitol
    Impressionism
    This is a watercolor painting of the Capitol Building at night by Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. The painting depicts the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. from a distance at night, with a carriage pulled up to the steps visible beyond the trees. Cooper was an American Impressionist who is most renowned for his architectural paintings, though he also painted portraits, interiors, florals, and landscapes. Cooper and his wife were aboard the RMS Carpathia while it conducted its April 1912 rescue mission of survivors of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Cooper has two paintings in the White House Collection.
  • U.S.S. Galena
    Antonio N. G. Jacobsen
    seascapes
    ships
    painting
    This oil painting by Antonio Nicolo Gaspara Jacobsen is of the USS Galena. There have been three ships in the history of the United States named Galena. This painting represents the second, a wooden steamer built and launched in 1879. She was the flagship of Rear Admiral Pierce Crosby between October 1882 and January 1883 and was decommissioned in 1890. Jacobsen was born in Denmark and immigrated to the United States in 1873. A prolific painter of ships and other maritime views, he was known as the "Audubon of Steam Vessels."
  • Mount Vesuvius, Blair House Collection
    Unknown
    This is one of four gouache paintings that depict the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy. Known primarily for the eruption in 79 AD that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the volcano was quite active in the 18th and 19th centuries as well. The set of paintings start with this image that depicts smoke rising and concludes with the volcano erupting. These paintings are historically located in the North Bedroom, a guest room, of Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and has been used as the president's guest house since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.
  • St. Petersburg, Blair House Collection
    Unknown
    This is a painting that depicts St. Petersburg, Russia that was given to Phillips Lee by Gustavus Vasa Fox in 1866. Fox and Lee were close friends from their time together in the Battle of Tabasco during the Mexican American War in 1847. Fox was also Montgomery Blair's brother-in-law. Blair and Lee, through marriage, were members of the Blair family that resided in Blair House and Lee House, respectively. This painting is a part of the Blair family's collection. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and has been used as the president's guest house since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.