Gingerbread Display in the State Dining Room, 1968
This photograph of a gingerbread cottage on display in the State Dining Room was taken by Jack E. Kightlinger on December 19, 1968. It was gifted to the White House by Edward E. Shapiro of Bedford Hills, New York. It is one of the earliest known to have been placed on the mahogany console table in front of the gilded pier mirror, where the back of the gingerbread can be viewed in the reflection. The following year, Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert created an A-frame gingerbread house for First Lady Pat Nixon's holiday decorations, establishing the tradition of a gingerbread house created by White House staff as a featured part of the holiday decorations.