• Soccer Clinic on the South Lawn
    Chuck Kennedy
    sports
    South Grounds
    South Lawn
    In this photograph by Chuck Kennedy, students from DC SCORES play soccer on the South Lawn of the White House on October 1, 2014. The soccer clinic occurred following Sporting Kansas City's visit to the White House. President Barack Obama honored the team for their 2013 Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup Championship in an East Room ceremony. DC SCORES is an organization founded in 1994 in Washington, D.C. to establish neighborhood youth soccer teams and aiming to bring the lessons learned on the playing field into the classroom and life.
  • Students Attend L.A. Kings and L.A. Galaxy Workshop
    Chuck Kennedy
    sports
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    In this photograph by Chuck Kennedy, a group of students attend a workshop in the State Dining Room of the White House on February 2, 2015. The workshop took place following the Los Angeles Kings and Los Angeles Galaxy's visit to the White House, where President Barack Obama honored both teams for their 2014 championships: the Kings won the National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup while the Galaxy won the Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup Championship. Both teams were on hand for the East Room ceremony and the State Dining Room workshop.
  • Former President and Mrs. Bush with President and Mrs. Obama
    Chuck Kennedy
    State Floor
    Cross Hall
    arts & culture
    ceremonies
    dedication
    In this photograph by Chuck Kennedy, President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush walk side by side down the Cross Hall to a ceremony unveiling President Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush's official White House portraits. Mrs. Bush and First Lady Michelle Obama follow their husbands toward the East Room, where the ceremony took place on May 31, 2012. President and Mrs. Obama also hosted a lunch for extended members of the Bush family -- including former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush -- in the Red Room of the White House that day.
  • Halloween Decorations in the Navy Mess
    Chuck Kennedy
    staff
    West Wing
    Navy Mess
    Halloween
    decorations
    This photograph was taken by Chuck Kennedy on October 26, 2009, near the reception booth for the Navy Mess. The space is decorated with festive pumpkins with painted, whimsical faces in anticipation of Halloween. Operated by the United States Navy, the Navy Mess is located near the Situation Room in the West Wing and serves as a cafeteria and restaurant for White House staff.
  • Chef Morrison Constructs the 2010 Gingerbread House
    Chuck Kennedy
    winter holidays
    staff
    gingerbread
    food & drink
    decorations
    Residence staff
    Ground Floor
    China Room
    Christmas
    In this photograph, taken by Chuck Kennedy on November 29, 2010, Assistant Pastry Chef Susan E. "Susie" Morrison assembles the official White House gingerbread house in the China Room. Modeled after the White House, the 350-pound creation was made from a foundation of gingerbread with a sculpted white chocolate façade. The elaborate decoration also featured a model of Bo, the Obama family's Portuguese Water Dog. Gingerbread houses have been a beloved annual tradition during the White House holiday celebrations since 1969, when White House Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert created a gingerbread house in the German A-Frame style for First Lady Pat Nixon's holiday decorations.
  • Moment of Silence, September 11, 2014
    Chuck Kennedy
    staff
    commemorations
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    September 11
    south view
    In this photograph, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joseph R. Biden join White House staff for a moment of silence on the South Lawn in commemoration of the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. In 2002, President George W. Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.
  • National September 11 Memorial Dedication
    Chuck Kennedy
    memorials
    commemorations
    New York City
    New York
    Presidential Visit
    travel
    September 11
    In this photograph, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama join former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Welch Bush for the dedication of the National September 11 Memorial in New York, New York, on September 11, 2011. The dedication ceremony was held in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. Located at the former site of the World Trade Center, the memorial features reflecting pools bearing the names of the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombings. In May 2014, an adjacent museum was opened and dedicated by President Barack Obama. In 2002, President George W. Bush designated September 11th as Patriot Day, a time that has been recognized through presidential proclamations as a national day of remembrance, prayer, and service. Presidents and first ladies typically commemorate the day through moment of silence observations on the White House South Lawn, and by attending remembrance ceremonies at sites affected by the terrorist attacks.
  • Dr. Jill Biden Hosts Joining Forces Initiative Tea
    Chuck Kennedy
    military
    meals
    initiatives
    U.S. Naval Observatory
    Washington, D.C.
    This photograph was taken by Chuck Kennedy on June 25, 2014, during a Joining Forces initiative tea hosted by Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden for spouses of senior military leaders at the vice president's residence at the United States Naval Observatory. The Joining Forces initiative was launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Biden in 2011 to support the needs of service members, veterans, and their families through access to wellness, education, and employment opportunities. As first lady, Dr. Biden continued to support military families through the Joining Forces initiative. Here, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to attendees of the tea.
  • President Obama and Vice President Biden at the 2013 Inauguration
    Chuck Kennedy
    inaugurations
    U.S. Capitol
    Justices
    Washington, D.C.
    In this photograph by Chuck Kennedy, President Barack Obama talks with Vice President Joe Biden during the inaugural swearing-in ceremony at the United States. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2013. The day marked their second inauguration. President Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, and Vice President Biden's wife, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden are behind them. Pictured to the right are members of the Supreme Court including Chief Justice John G. Roberts and associate justices Sonia Sotomayor and Antonin Scalia.
  • President and Mrs. Obama with the 2010 Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Chuck Kennedy
    State Floor
    Christmas
    Blue Room
    winter holidays
    decorations
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    This official White House photograph, taken by Chuck Kennedy on December 5, 2010, shows President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama posing in front of the Official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room. To complement the "Simple Gifts" theme of the White House holiday decorations in 2010, the "Gift of the American Spirit" Christmas tree was decorated with prize ribbons from state and county fairs from each American state and territory.
  • National Christmas Tree, 2009
    Chuck Kennedy
    holidays
    Christmas
    In this photograph, the White House serves as a backdrop for the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. Since the Coolidge administration, the National Christmas tree has been an important part of holiday celebrations in Washington, D.C. and each year its lighting ceremony draws hundreds of spectators.
  • Turkey Pardon on the North Portico
    Chuck Kennedy
    Thanksgiving
    holidays
    In this photograph Courage, the National Thanksgiving Turkey awaits his official pardon from President Barack Obama. Presidents and their families have received turkeys for the holidays as far back as the 1870s. However, the origin of the turkey pardon is said to have started with President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, after he offered a clemency to a turkey purchased for Christmas dinner at his son's request. The pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey became a formalized tradition during the Ronald Reagan administration.
  • White House Chefs Harvest Winter Greens
    Chuck Kennedy
    South Grounds
    Residence staff
    Kitchen Garden
    staff
    This photograph captures two White House chefs, Kevin Saiyasak and Jeremy Kapper, as they harvest winter vegetables in the Kitchen Garden. The vegetables picked were later used at the State Dinner held in honor of Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain and his wife, Samantha Cameron. The Kitchen Garden is located on the South Grounds.
  • Bo on the North Lawn
    Chuck Kennedy
    North Lawn
    This is a photograph of Bo, President Barack Obama's Portuguese water dog posing for a picture on the South Lawn of the White House.
  • President Barack Obama Plants a Linden Tree
    Chuck Kennedy
    ceremony
    North Grounds
    tree planting
    This photograph of President Barack Obama was taken by White House photographer Chuck Kennedy. In the photograph, President Obama shovels dirt onto a linden tree being planted near the North Drive of the White House Grounds. The ceremony took place on October 28, 2009.
  • Mrs. Obama and Schoolchildren Harvest Vegetables
    Chuck Kennedy
    Kitchen Garden
    children
    This photograph of First Lady Michelle Obama was taken by White House photographer Chuck Kennedy on May 28, 2013. In the photograph, Mrs. Obama is seen harvesting vegetables with schoolchildren in the Kitchen Gardens. Mrs. Obama started the garden in 2009 with the hopes of educating school-age children about the values of healthy eating, often enlisting their help and using the harvested vegetables in the White House kitchen and for State Dinners. The Kitchen Garden is located on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds.
  • Michelle Obama
    Chuck Kennedy
    official portrait
    This portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama was taken by White House photographer Chuck Kennedy during President Barack Obama's second term, which began on January 20, 2013. Mrs. Obama holds degrees from Princeton University and a law degree from Harvard.
  • First Lady Michelle Obama Runs on the South Lawn
    Chuck Kennedy
    children
    South Lawn
    This photograph by Chuck Kennedy shows First Lady Michelle Obama participating in the "Pit Crew Challenge" during an event held by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition on the White House South Lawn, May 9, 2011.