• East Room Prepared for a Musical Performance
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    East Room
    State Floor
    This circa 1928 photograph by Ralph Waldo Magee depicts the East Room of the White House prepared for a musical performance. Note the two upholstered chairs in the front row reserved for President and First Lady Coolidge.
  • State Dining Room, Coolidge Administration
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    centerpiece
    plateau
    This photograph of the State Dining Room was taken by Ralph Waldo Magee on January 26, 1928 during the Calvin Coolidge administration. The long dining table was set for a dinner to honor the Supreme Court, with James Monroe's 13-foot gilded bronze surtout de table centerpiece or plateau adorned with flowers and gilded bronze candelabra. The centerpiece is the oldest object still used in the State Dining Room. The large armchair at the middle of the table was used by First Lady Grace Coolidge.
  • Red Room, Calvin Coolidge Administration
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    Red Room
    State Floor
    Louis Comfort Tiffany
    This black and white photograph of the Red Room was taken by Ralph Waldo Magee in 1928 during the Calvin Coolidge administration. The Red Room is one of three state parlors on the State Floor of the Executive Mansion named after a color, with the designated red dating as far back as 1845 and the James K. Polk administration. Visible through the east facing doorways is the oval-shaped Blue Room and, beyond, the Green Room and the East Room. At the time of this photograph, the Red Room was used as a parlor for the women of the White House to receive callers. Among the decorations is a rug from Tiffany Studios. Louis Comfort Tiffany had previously redecorated the Red Room for President Chester A. Arthur in 1882.
  • Desk of the Ceremonial Officer in the East Sitting Hall
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    Second Floor
    East Sitting Hall
    This photograph of the East Sitting Hall by Ralph Waldo Magee was taken in 1928 during the Calvin Coolidge administration. The East Sitting Hall, located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion, is recognized for its high, arched windows. At the time, the desk of the Ceremonial Officer, who oversaw White House social functions, was in the East Sitting Hall during the social season in order to be near the First Lady.
  • Solarium, Calvin Coolidge Administration
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    Solarium
    Family Quarters
    This black and white photograph of the Solarium by Ralph Waldo Magee was taken in 1928 during the Calvin Coolidge administration. In 1927 the Third Floor attic was renovated and expanded to add to the presidential living area. Added to the Third Floor, over the South Portico, was the Solarium. First Lady Grace Coolidge used the simple, decorated room, calling it her "Sky Parlor," to rest and relax in quiet solitude. This photograph is among the first to capture the newest room in the White House.
  • Grace Coolidge's Bedroom
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    bedroom
    Lincoln bed
    This 1928 black and white photograph depicts the White House bedroom of First Lady Grace Coolidge, featuring the Lincoln bed in the center of the photograph. Mrs. Coolidge crocheted a coverlet for the bed, starting a First Lady tradition of leaving a memento for future occupants of the White House.
  • East Room, Calvin Coolidge Administration
    Ralph Waldo Magee
    East Room
    State Floor
    piano
    This circa 1928 black and white photograph of the White House by Ralph Waldo Magee depicts the East Room of the White House during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge. The "Gold Grand" piano in the center of the image was a gift to the White House from Steinway and Sons in 1903.