• President Kennedy Meets with Ambassador of Ireland
    Abbie Rowe
    presidential gifts
    West Wiing
    Oval Office
    St. Patrick's Day
    This photograph of President John F. Kennedy meeting with Ambassador Thomas J. Kiernan of Ireland was taken by Abbie Rowe on March 17, 1961 in the Oval Office. Ambassador Kiernan is captured presenting President Kennedy with a scroll displaying the Kennedy family coat of arms and signed by the chief herald of Ireland, Gerard Slevin. Kiernan also gave Kennedy an arrangement of shamrocks.
  • White House Dentist Office
    Abbie Rowe
    Dentist Office
    This photograph of the White House Dentist Office was captured by Abbie Rowe on March 10, 1948. Rowe took the photograph prior to the extensive renovation known as the Truman Renovation, which took place from 1948 to 1952, during the Harry S. Truman administration.
  • President and Mrs. Kennedy Arrive at Inaugural Ball
    Abbie Rowe
    inaugurations
    In this photograph by Abbie Rowe taken on January 20, 1961, newly-inaugurated President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy arrive at the National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C. for the Inaugural Ball. Earlier in the day, President Kennedy was sworn in at the 35th President of the United States. Mrs. Kennedy wore a sleeveless, off-white gown with a silk sheer top covering a strapless bodice encrusted with “brilliants” and embroidered with silver thread by Ethel Frankau. Mrs. Kennedy collaborated with Frankau in the creation of the gown by offering suggestions on the sketches. Mrs. Kennedy’s look was finished off with a matching cape that closed at the neck and elbow-length gloves.
  • Mrs. Eisenhower Meets Officers from the National Council of Negro Women
    Abbie Rowe
    civil rights
    White House Guests
    North Door
    North Portico
    In this photograph, taken by National Park Service photographer Abbie Rowe on November 12, 1953, First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower receives officers from the National Council of Negro Women outside the North Door of the White House. As first lady, Mrs. Eisenhower accepted honorary membership in the organization and hosted the first White House reception for the National Council of Negro Women. Pictured here from left to right: Carmel Carrington Marr, Jane M. Spaulding, Mrs. Eisenhower, Daisy E. Lampkin, and Ruth Caston Mueller.
  • Presentation of the First Edition of The White House: A Historic Guide
    Abbie Rowe
    West Wing
    Roosevelt Room
    WHHA
    This photograph is of President John F. Kennedy delivering remarks at the presentation of the first edition of "The White House: A Historic Guide”. The publication serves as a companion book for tours of the White House, providing a history of the rooms, architecture, and furniture. The event took place in the Fish Room, now known as the Roosevelt, and was photographed by Abbie Rowe on June 28, 1962. Behind him are First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Dr. Melville Bell Grosvenor, president and editor of the National Geographic Society. Both the President and Mrs. Kennedy are standing with others. From left to right: David E. Finley, chairman of the board of directors of the White House Historical Association; Lorraine W. Pearce, curator of the White House; Dr. Leonard Carmichael, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and member of the board of directors of the White House Historical Association; Melvin M. Payne, executive vice-president and secretary of the National Geographic Society; Nash Castro, assistant regional director of the National Park Service and administrative officer of the White House Historical Association; T. Sutton Jett, regional director of the National Park Service and executive secretary of the White House Historical Association; and Robert L. Breeden, assistant illustrations editor of the National Geographic Society.
  • President Kennedy Presented with Gifts at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner
    Abbie Rowe
    lighting
    sconces
    presidential gifts
    This photograph of Garnett D. Horner, reporter for the Washington Star and out-going president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, presenting two silver lanterns to President John F. Kennedy at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner was taken by Abbie Rowe on February 25, 1961. The lanterns are replicas of those hung in the Old North Church of Boston on April 18, 1775, that would signal the patriots of Paul Revere’s ride to warn Lexington and Concord. The lanterns were electrified and installed as wall-mounted sconces in the Oval Office.
  • Japanese Prime Minister Bids President Kennedy Farewell
    Abbie Rowe
    mantels
    Yellow Oval Room
    Head of State
    Second Floor
    In this photograph taken by Abbie Rowe, President John F. Kennedy stands in front of the Yellow Oval Room mantelpiece with Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda of Japan on June 23, 1961. Placed in front of the mantel is a scale mock-up of the green and white mantelpiece brought to the attention of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy by Jayne Wrightsman and purchased for the Yellow Oval Room by Mr. and Mrs. John Loeb. After consideration, the mantel was deemed too small for the room and it was eventually incorporated into the redecoration of the Family Dining Room on the State Floor.
  • Performance of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre of Stratford, Connecticut
    Abbie Rowe
    arts & culture
    State Visit
    State Floor
    State Dinner
    East Room
    performing
    This photograph of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre of Stratford, Connecticut, performing at a state dinner in honor of President El Ferik Ibrahim Abboud of Sudan in the East Room was taken by Abbie Rowe on October 4, 1961. The East Room is located on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion. The room is the largest room in the White House and is often used as a ceremonial space. The room is painted white and has 18th-century French and English-inspired ornate walls and ceiling. To make way for temporary furniture for ceremonies and holiday decorations, the East Room is usually sparsely furnished.
  • President Kennedy Attends Luncheon for New Jersey Publishers
    Abbie Rowe
    meals
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    This photograph showing a luncheon for New Jersey publishers was taken by Abbie Rowe on October 6, 1961. The luncheon took place in the State Dining Room amid a renovation during the John F. Kennedy administration. Seen here are the recently regilded chandelier and repositioned sconces. President Kennedy and press secretary Pierre Salinger were in attendance. The State Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House. The room is often the setting for state or official dinners and is the second largest room in the White House.
  • Mrs. Kennedy Opens the Refurbished Treaty Room
    Abbie Rowe
    restoration
    Treaty Room
    Second Floor
    Congress
    refurbishment
    In this photograph taken by Abbie Rowe, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy opens the newly refurbished Treaty Room, formerly the Monroe Room, on June 28, 1962. Present from left to right: Senator Everett Dirksen, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Senator Mike Mansfield, Maureen Hayes Mansfield, Archivist of the United States, and Dr. Wayne C. Grover. At this event, Mrs. Kennedy also accepted the return of a Ulysses S. Grant–era chandelier from the U.S. Capitol Building. Representing the Senate are Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Everett McKinley Dirksen. The chandelier had once hung in the East Room. The Treaty Room is located on the Second Floor of the White House and has been used as the president’s private study where the commander-in-chief can analyze reports, hold private meetings, edit speeches, and host family gatherings. However, it is one of the most historic rooms in the house, bearing witness to the signing of the peace protocol between Spain and United States in 1898, and the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1963, and it is possibly where President James Monroe composed the Monroe Doctrine. It has also served as the Cabinet Room for various administrations including Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, and William McKinley.
  • President Kennedy Attends a Luncheon for Newspaper Editors and Publishers from Idaho
    Abbie Rowe
    meals
    State Floor
    Family Dining Room
    This photograph of President John F. Kennedy attending a luncheon for newspaper editors and publishers from Idaho was taken by Abbie Rowe on June 15, 1962 in the Old Family Dining Room. Clockwise from left: President Kennedy; editor of the Moscow Idahonian, Louis A. Boas; publisher of the St. Maries Gazette Record, Robert M. Hammes; publisher of the Parma Review, Theron M. Gough; president and publisher of the Lewiston-Clarkson Tribune, A. L. “Bud” Alford; press secretary Pierre Salinger; president and publisher of the Blackfoot News, Drury R. Brown; publisher of the Pocatello State Journal, Hugh A. Wagnon; publisher of the Twin Falls Times-News, John J. “Jack” Mullowney; publisher of the Burley Herald. The recently redecorated room included historic objects from the White House Collection including an early 19th-century French mantel clock with a figure of George Washington and two 19th-century still life paintings by German émigré artist Severin Roesen. From 1825 to 1962, presidents and their families traditionally dined in the Old Family Dining Room. In 1962 with the addition of a new private family dining room on the Second Floor of the White House, the room was repurposed for small official dinners, working lunches, and also serves as a staging area for state dinners. Located on the State Floor of the White House, the room features architectural details such as elegant plasterwork and vaulted ceilings. During the Barack Obama administration, the room was opened to public tours for the first time.
  • President Kennedy Presents the Presidential “Citation of Merit”
    Abbie Rowe
    State Floor
    Blue Room
    ceremonies
    merits & awards
    This photograph is of President Kennedy presenting the Presidential “Citation of Merit” to diplomat Florence Jaffray Hurst Harriman, in recognition of her distinguished service to the United States. The ceremony took place in the completed Blue Room, part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration program, and was photographed by Abbie Rowe on April 18, 1963. The Blue Room is located on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion and is famous for its oval shape, central location, and views of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial through its South Portico windows.
  • Newly Installed Mantel in the State Dining Room
    Abbie Rowe
    restoration
    mantels
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    refurbishment
    This photograph of the newly-installed mantel in the State Dining Room was taken by Abbie Rowe on July 2, 1962. The mantel was a gift of both the architecture firm Steinmann, Cain & White and the Marble Industry Board of New York. The new mantel was installed as part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's restoration program. The State Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House. The room is often the setting for state or official dinners and is the second largest room in the White House.
  • Interpretive Panel in the Green Room
    Abbie Rowe
    Green Room
    State Floor
    This photograph of an interpretive panel providing information about the Green Room was taken by Abbie Rowe on September 6, 1963, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The Green Room is located on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion. It was the first room named after the color of its textiles and has Federal-style furnishings. The elegant but relaxed parlor is used for small gatherings, interviews, and teas.
  • President Kennedy and Vice President Johnson with Wilma Rudolph
    Abbie Rowe
    Oval Office
    sports
    West Wing
    White House Guests
    This photograph, taken by Abbie Rowe on April 14, 1961, shows President John F. Kennedy meeting with American athlete Wilma Rudolph in the Oval Office. Rudolph was a triple Olympic gold medalist in track and field during the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. She was considered the fastest woman in the world, and at the time of this photograph, was also a student at Tennessee State College in Nashville. Pictured in this photograph from left to right: President Kennedy; Rudolph; Rudolph’s mother Blanche Rudolph; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Robert Logan (standing), a friend of Rudolph's; and Edward Temple, coach of the 1960 women’s Olympic track team.
  • President Eisenhower with Civil Rights Leaders
    Abbie Rowe
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    staff
    civil rights
    White House Guests
    West Wing
    Oval Office
    meetings
    In this photograph, taken by Abbie Rowe on June 23, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower receives a group of civil rights leaders in the Oval Office. The leaders met with President Eisenhower to present a program of nine recommendations to aid in the relief of racial tension, violence, and discrimination. The group also commended President Eisenhower for mobilizing the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army to escort and protect African American students during the Little Rock Crisis, as well as his role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Pictured in this photograph from left to right: Lester B. Granger, executive secretary, National Urban League; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., president, Southern Christian Leadership Conference; E. Frederic Morrow, presidential executive assistant and speechwriter; President Eisenhower; A. Philip Randolph, international president, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; Attorney General William P. Rogers; Rocco C. Siciliano, special assistant to the president for personnel management; and Roy Wilkins, president, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
  • White House Interior, Truman Renovation
    Abbie Rowe
    renovation
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe was taken during the Truman Renovation of the White House. Between 1948 and 1952, the White House was gutted and the interior was completely reconstructed. The facade remained intact during construction.
  • East Wing & South Portico, Truman Renovation
    Abbie Rowe
    renovation
    east view
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe was taken during the Truman renovation of the White House. Between 1948 and 1952, the White House was gutted and the interior was completely reconstructed. The facade remained intact during construction.
  • President Truman Announces Japanese Surrender
    Abbie Rowe
    Oval Office
    press
    West Wing
    World War II
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President Harry S. Truman in the Oval Office addressing a large group of reporters, announcing Japan's surrender to the press.
  • Truman Greets Indian Prime Minister
    Abbie Rowe
    Head of State
    State Visit
    This photograph shows President Harry Truman greeting Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru; Ambassador Vijaya Pandit, his sister; and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, upon their arrival at Washington National Airport. Nehru was the first prime minister of India following the country's independence from Great Britain.
  • Trumans Arrive at the Renovated White House
    Abbie Rowe
    Residence staff
    North Portico
    staff
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman the night they returned to the White House following the completion of its four-year renovation. Left to right: Charles K. Claunch, Usher; President Truman; Howell G. Crim, Chief Usher; Mrs. Truman; Alonzo Fields, Maître d'hôtel; and J. B. West, Usher. At far right, William Kelly, Project Manager, Public Buildings, and Jess Larson, General Services Administration, admire the ceremonial White House key they are about to present to the President.
  • Trumans Under the North Portico at Christmas
    Abbie Rowe
    holidays
    Christmas
    First Family
    North Portico
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows the Truman family standing in front of a Christmas tree on the North Portico of the White House. Left to right: First Lady Bess Truman, President Harry Truman, and their daughter, Margaret Truman.
  • Truman Family Attends Second Inauguration Ball
    Abbie Rowe
    First Family
    inauguration
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President Harry Truman, First Lady Bess Truman and daughter Margaret at Truman's second inaugural ball. Left to right: Unidentified man, Mrs. Bess Truman, Perle Mesta, President Truman, Margaret Truman, Arthur Bergman (Director of the National Guard Armory), unidentified man.
  • The Trumans Greet VJ Day Crowds
    Abbie Rowe
    World War II
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service shows President Harry Truman and First Lady Bess Truman greeting crowds outside the White House on VJ Day -- the day the Japanese surrendered and World War II unofficially ended.
  • President Truman Announces Japanese Surrender
    Abbie Rowe
    Oval Office
    West Wing
    press
    World War II
    This photograph by Abbie Rowe of the National Park Service is of President Truman standing behind his desk in the Oval Office reading the announcement of the surrender of Japan to the press. On the wall behind Truman is a portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt painted by Frank O. Salisbury.