This photograph by Bruce White shows the detail of a rope bed in Blair House. This bed is made of walnut wood. Ropes are tied tightly around the knobs on the frame of the bed to support a shuck or feather mattress This bed is located in one of the top floor guest rooms in Blair House, which is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph captures the bust of Francis Preston Blair that is on display in the library of Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. Judge Blair, as he was informally known, purchased what became Blair House from Dr. Joseph Lovell in 1837. Gist Blair, Judge Blair's grandson, used the tops of the bookshelves and the walls in the library of Blair House to memorialize his ancestors.

This photograph by Bruce White shows a rim lock on one of the doors in the library of Blair House. It is an example of one of the surviving pieces of hardware in the house. The "keeper" on the door trim does not match the lock itself which suggests that a repair was needed. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This is a photograph of Gist Blair and his classmates at Princeton University. Blair is in the second row sitting second from the right with his dog. After graduating from Princeton University, Blair received his law degree from the George Washington University. By 1912 Blair purchased all of his siblings parts of Blair House. In 1917 he was part of Gen. John J. Pershing's legal staff. Blair was the grandson of Francis Preston Blair, the first of the Blair family to reside in Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and has been used as the president's guest house since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. While living in the house, Gist acted as curator and archivist of the family's extensive collection.

This photograph taken by Mathew Brady is of Gen. William T. Sherman and his generals in 1866. Frank Blair, who was a member of Sherman's staff, was not present for the initial photograph so a separate image of Blair was cut and pasted at the far right of the photograph. Blair was a member of the Blair family that resided at Blair House, located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The house has been used as the president's guest house since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. This photograph is a part of the Blair family's collection.

This photograph of the Front Drawing Room of Blair House was taken by Durston Saylor on February 10, 2016. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph by Durston Saylor is of the Dining Room in Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. The room is located at the end of the entrance hall of the house. While this room had the potential to be used for large parties, the Blair family, the one-time residents of the house, used it for dinners with family and close friends. One of the frequent guests was Andrew Jackson, who was a friend of the Blairs.

This is a photograph by Durston Saylor of the North bedroom in Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. This room uses many of the original furnishings of Montgomery and Mary Blair from the mid-19th century. Those pieces have been conserved and restored to their original polishes. The sleigh bed was made during the Greek revival era of 1825 to 1850. The secretary-bookcase reflects a growing consumer culture in the 19th century. As people purchased more "things," they needed different ways to store and display those products.  

This is a photograph by Durston Saylor of the North Bedroom in Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. This room uses many of the original furnishings of Montgomery and Mary Blair from the mid-19th century. Those pieces have been conserved and restored to their original polishes. The sleigh bed was made during the Greek revival era of 1825 to 1850.

This photograph by Durston Saylor shows one of the stairwells in Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. A portrait of Gen. Francis Blair, Jr., whose parents were the first Blairs to reside in the house, hangs on the wall in the stairwell. In addition to being a general during the Civil War, Blair also represented the state of Missouri as a United States Senator from 1871-1873.

This photograph by Durston Saylor shows the South Bedroom in Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. This room is one of 14 rooms in Blair House that serves foreign guests when they visit the White House. The room displays a historical approach blended with modern-day amenities.

This photograph by Durston Saylor shows the Curio Room of Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. Gist Blair - grandson of Francis Preston Blair, the first Blair to reside in the house - and his wife Laura had an affinity for antiques and other collectables. By 1919 the Blairs commissioned their cousin Nathaniel Wyatt to build them a room in the house to display their collection of antiques. The Blairs called this room the Curio Room because of their diverse collection of antiquities. The portrait above the fireplace is of Gist Blair in his uniform from World War I. It was painted by Ossip Perleman.

This photograph by Durston Saylor shows a recreation of the breakfast setting used by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 while staying at Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. Anna Weatherly made the china used for the setting at a table in the Blair House library. The Queen chose to have her breakfast in the library instead of the many dining rooms in the Blair House complex.

This photograph by Durston Saylor shows the ancestral portraits of the Blair family hanging in the Blair House library. The people depicted in the portraits are of James and Elizabeth Blair. The portraits on display are 1909 copies of the original works. The bust between the portraits is of Francis "Judge" Preston Blair along with other portraits and photographs of the Blair Family scattered around the room. The table in the foreground is set for breakfast as it was in 2006 for Queen Elizabeth II. Anna Weatherly made the china used for the breakfast service. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph by Durston Saylor shows the library in Blair House. Gist Blair, the grandson of Francis Preston Blair who was the first Blair to reside there, created this space in 1920 by demolishing partitions between two bedrooms on the second floor of the original Blair House. The walls and tops of the bookcases display images of the Blair Family. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. This room is a favorite of many of the guests who stay at Blair House. Queen Elizabeth II chose to have her breakfast in this room over the other dining rooms in the house and President and Mrs. Clinton read newspapers, magazines, and history books while their daughter Chelsea did homework in this room.

This photograph of the Lincoln Room at Blair House was taken by Durston Saylor on February 10, 2016. The room was once Francis "Judge" Preston Blair's home office where he met regularly with friends, business associates, and President Andrew Jackson. The decorations hearken back to the early days with period engravings of historic events and famous guests of the house. One of the most prominent items is a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln by Edward Dalton Merchant, which hangs over the mantel. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and it is where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office. This room, a small parlor, is historically used for U.S. officials waiting to meet with a visiting leader.

This photograph by Bruce White shows the writing box and lapdesk owned by Francis Preston Blair, Jr. Blair served as a United States senator and member of the House of Representatives for the state of Missouri during his career. He was a member of the Blair family, who owned the eponymous Blair House. Blair House, or the President's Guest House, is the residence where visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay while on official visit to the White House and where the president-elect and first family typically reside prior to being sworn in. The writing box is still filled with items owned by Blair. This lapdesk is similar to the ones owned by his sister Lizzie and sister-in-law Minna.

This photograph by Bruce White shows the entry stairwell to Blair House. The porch light is left on in the evenings to welcome the guests. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph by Bruce White shows the Blair House Guest Book in the Rear Drawing Room. Before each official guest departs, they sign their name in this book. This practice started while President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. The guest book captured in this photograph is the thirteenth volume from the collection since the practice started. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph by Bruce White shows the front door and entrance hall of Blair House. On the left wall is a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette. It is the first work of art seen when entering Blair House and represents the importance of international friendship. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph by Bruce White shows the Blair House guest book in the Rear Drawing Room. Before each official guest departs Blair House, they sign their name in this book. This practice started while President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. The guest book seen in the photo is the thirteenth volume. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This is a photograph of Volume 13 of the Blair House Guest Book, signed on March 12, 2012, by Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland. The Guest Book is located in the Rear Drawing Room of Blair House. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This is a photograph of Dr. Joseph Lovell's portrait hanging in the Entrance Hall of Blair House taken by Bruce White on October 1, 2015. Dr. Joseph Lovell, the first surgeon general, built Blair House in 1824 and resided there for a decade until he died in 1836. The Blair House name originated from its next tenants, the family of Francis Preston Blair. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph of the long case clock in the Entrance Hall of Blair House was taken by Bruce White on September 30, 2015. Keeping time since the 1880's, the clock was purchased by Montgomery Blair's wife, Mary, from a dealer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The clock was handcrafted by master Boston clock maker Simon Willard circa 1795. Blair House is located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and is known as the President's Guest House. Visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay at Blair House while on official visits with the White House and is historically where the president-elect and first family reside prior to taking the oath of office.

This photograph by Bruce White shows the doors separating parlors at Blair House. Blair House, located just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, is known as the President's Guest House, where visiting diplomats and dignitaries stay while on official state visits. Blair House also historically serves as residence for the president-elect and first family prior to being sworn into office.