This architectural drawing of the entrance hall doors to Decatur House was created by Benjamin Henry Latrobe in January 1818. The drawing also depicts the door elevation and reflected ceiling. Latrobe is best known as the architect who designed the United States Capitol, St. John's Church, Decatur House in Lafayette Square, the White House East and West Terraces, and the Madison state rooms. He was also the chief engineer for the U.S. Navy. 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 a co-stewardship arrangement of Decatur House.

This charcoal and chalk on paper study of President Millard Fillmore's was created by George Peter Alexander Healy, sometimes known as G. P. A. Healy, on December 12, 1857. Healy used this study for the official portrait of President Fillmore in the White House Collection. Healy was one of the most popular and prolific portraitists of the mid-19th century. Fillmore had served in the House of Representatives and was vice president when President Zachary Taylor died suddenly while in office in 1850. Fillmore served as president from July 9, 1850 until March 4, 1853.

This pencil drawing by French painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard was completed circa 1778. Fragonard completed the drawing while Benjamin Franklin was serving as a United States envoy in France. Franklin was a renowned author, inventor, and philosopher who was also one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The Franklin figure is seated and wearing Roman-style robes and a laurel wreath, with female figures surrounding him. Male figures, in similar classical attire, fight before him. The sketch was made quickly while Franklin was visiting the Louvre. From the drawing, an etching and aquatint were created by Jean-Honoré Fragonard's sister-in-law Marguerite Gérard. This was the first major acquisition by the White House Fine Arts Committee during the John F. Kennedy administration. Bates Littlehales photographed the drawing in March 1962, also during the Kennedy administration.

This watercolor portrait of President Lyndon B. Johnson was created on paper by Elizabeth Shoumatoff in 1968. Shoumatoff, like many artists, used proof studies to map the color and composition of a painting before creating the final product.

This watercolor portrait of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson was created on paper by Elizabeth Shoumatoff in 1968. Shoumatoff, like many artists, used proof studies to map the color and composition of a painting before creating the final product.

This plan was drawn by James Hoban circa his 1793-1794 designs for the White House. Hoban, an Irish-born architect, won the competition to design the President's House. The competition was announced by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and the prize for the winner was $500 or a medal of equal value. This drawing captures an initial plan for the North Front of the White House. Winfield Parks photographed this plan in 1962.

This plan was drawn by James Hoban circa his 1793-1794 designs for the White House. Hoban, an Irish-born architect, won the competition to design the President's House. The competition was announced by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and the prize for the winner was $500 or a medal of equal value. This drawing captures an initial plan for the North Front of the White House. Winfield Parks photographed this plan in 1962.

This plan was drawn by James Hoban circa his 1793-1794 designs for the White House. Hoban, an Irish-born architect, won the competition to design the President's House. The competition was announced by then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and the prize for the winner was $500 or a medal of equal value. This drawing captures an initial plan for the North Front of the White House. Winfield Parks photographed this plan in 1962.

This watercolor by artist George Munger depicts the burned-out shell of the White after it was destroyed by British troops on August 24, 1814. The painting shows the once elegant and imposing house standing alone in the landscape, a vivid reminder of the destruction and that the capital city was still in its infancy. A curious element of the work is the S-curved shape above the near corner of the roof. It is believed to be part of metallic conductor that encircled the roof that functioned as lighting protection system.

This is the index page from the "Journal of Musick" published by Charlotte Le Pelletier, under the name Madame Le Pelletier, which is now housed at the Library of Congress. This volume is a copy of the one First Lady Dolley Madison purchased to provide entertainment for her guests during events at the White House. The volume consists of 31 pieces, mostly of light operas composed by British, Italian, and French composers, including Le Pelletier.

This reproduction is of a portrait of First Lady Dolley Payne Todd Madison painted by Bass Otis in the mid-19th century. Dolley Madison served as first lady during her husband's tenure as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817.

This cut paper silhouette portrait of President John Tyler was completed by Auguste Edouart in 1841. The writing at the bottom of the portrait reads, "John Tyler 'President of the United States' Washington 20th April 1841." President Tyler became the tenth president of the United States after President William Henry Harrison died just one month after his inauguration. Tyler served for the remainder of Harrison's term, until March 4, 1845. Tyler had previously served in the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, and as governor of Virginia before becoming Harrison's Vice President. Silhouette portraits were popular and readily available throughout Europe and the United States during the 19th century.

This ink silhouette on paper of First Lady Abigail Adams by an unknown artist was completed circa 1810. Inscribed on the lower right is "Mrs. Adams." Abigail Adams was first lady when her husband John Adams served as president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Their family was the first to live in the White House, which was ready for occupancy in 1800, toward the end of his term in office.

This pencil sketch of First Lady Grace Coolidge was done by Feodor Zakharov. Zakharov began exhibiting in Russia in 1911 and then worldwide before settling in New York. Other commissions include works for a U.S. Ambassador to China and First Lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson.

This watercolor painting of First Lady Grace Coolidge by Howard Chandler Christy is a preliminary version of the official portrait he painted. That portrait has historically hung in the White House China Room, which was decorated in a shade of red to match Mrs. Coolidge's dress. Calvin Coolidge was president from August 2, 1923 until March 4, 1929. Mrs. Coolidge held a Bachelor's degree in teaching and taught at a school for deaf children before her marriage. See image number 137 for the official portrait.

This sketch was drawn in 1861 by Alfred R. Waud, an artist and illustrator who worked as a correspondent during the Civil War. The drawing was done on green paper using pencil and Chinese white, a white pigment used in watercoloring. In the drawing, President Abraham Lincoln and General Winfeld Scott review volunteer troops parading down Pennsylvania Avenue. President Lincoln and Scott stand under a tent erected outside the North Grounds of the White House, perhaps the first reviewing stand built near the White House grounds.

This cut paper silhouette on silk of President George Washington was created by an unknown artist in the early 19th century. This item was a gift to the White House by Mrs. Stanley M. Straus. Washington served as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He served as president from April 30, 1789 until March 4, 1797.

This pencil on paper portrait of President George Washington was completed by Jacques Reich sometime during the late 19th or early 20th century. It was a gift to the White House Collection from Mr. and Mrs. Clement E. Conger. Reich was a Hungarian portrait etcher who came to the United States, and studied at the National Academy of Design in New York and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Washington served as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He served as president from April 30, 1789 until March 4, 1797.

This ink and paper drawing of the Blue Room was drawn by J. M. Gleeson around 1896 during Grover Cleveland's second administration. The drawing shows a richly dressed woman looking towards the fireplace on the east side of the room. Gleeson's drawing was published in Munsey's Magazine in September 1896.

This circa 1896 sketch of the East Room was published in Munsey's Magazine in September 1896. It depicts the East Room as it appeared during the second administration of President Grover Cleveland.

This watercolor design for an Aubusson-style rug was created firm Bollentin and Thompson for Tiffany Studios in New York. The resulting finished product was placed in the Green Room, and another was made for the Red Room.

This ink and charcoal drawing by W. A. Rogers (often referred to as William Allen Rogers) depicts men delivering ice on a hot morning in 1881, during the weeks following the shooting of President James Garfield. A line of horse-drawn carriages delivering the ice extends down the north drive of the White House. The ice was intended to help cool the temperature in the house and aid the ailing president. Drawn from the perspective of the North Portico of the White House, facing north towards Lafayette Park, a column is at the forefront on the left side of the drawing with a large, ornate sconce or lantern extending out of the column. The first air conditioning system was installed in the White House in 1933. Rogers was an American cartoonist and illustrator, who replaced Thomas Nast at Harper's Weekly in 1877.

This watercolor is by Edward C. Kuhn, an artist who worked for the U.S. Army. Kuhn did a series of six watercolors depicting the evolution of the President's Flag (also known as the President's Standard). All six are a part of the White House Collection including this one of a soldier waving the 1882 version.

This landscape by Nicolino Calyo looks down upon the Fairmount Waterworks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from atop a high hill. A long stairwell with visitors walking on it climbs down the hill towards the Fairmount Waterworks buildings that line the shore of the Schuylkill River. Calyo was a gifted landscape painter who was born in Italy but left in the early 1820s and immigrated to the United States in 1834. He has two paintings in the White House Collection.

This silhouette made of cut paper with a watercolor background is by Augustin-Amant-Constant-Fidèle Edouart, also known as Auguste Edouart. The full-body silhouette is of an unknown female subject who is wearing a cap and seated in a rocking chair holding a pair of spectacles. The walls around her include a mural and several tapestries. Silhouette portraits were fashionable and readily available throughout Europe and the United States in the 1800s.