In this photograph, taken March 6, 1975 by Bruce Dale, actor Robert Redford meets with President Gerald R. Ford and his daughter, Susan, in the Oval Office. Redford starred in popular films including "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), "The Sting" (1973), and "All the President's Men" (1976). Press secretary Ron Nessen joined the meeting, while chief official White House photographer David Hume Kennerly documented the event.

This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford was taken on March 6, 1975 by National Geographic photographer Bruce Dale. President Ford smokes a pipe while he works behind his desk in the Oval Office. Dale was invited into the Oval Office, capturing meetings President Ford had regarding aid to Cambodia and a visit from actor Robert Redford.

This photograph is of Gerald R. Ford being sworn in as the 38th president of the United States by Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in the White House East Room on August 9, 1974. Ford had been confirmed as vice president in 1973 following Vice President Spiro T. Agnew's resignation. Ford would ascend to the presidency after President Richard M. Nixon resigned from office in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

This photograph of First Lady Betty Ford speaking with press outside of the Guttman Institute for Early Detection of Breast Cancer in New York was taken by Karl Schumacher on November 7, 1975. Behind her is a bus with the graphic, "Early Detection Saves Lives... It May Save Yours..." in English and Spanish. Shortly after moving into the White House, Mrs. Ford discovered a lump in her breast and underwent a radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Her subsequent decision to address her illness during a White House press conference helped reduce the stigma against discussing breast cancer and treatment.

This photograph of First Lady Betty Ford working at her desk in the East Wing of the White House was taken by David Hume Kennerly on June 28, 1975. Her desk featured a special "Don't Tread On Me" E.R.A. flag. On September 4, 1974, during her first press conference as first lady, she expressed support for the Equal Rights Amendment (E.R.A.), which, if passed, would have guaranteed legal equality for American citizens, regardless of sex. She continued to support the passage of the amendment throughout her time in the White House, calling senators, traveling across the country to lobby for ratification, and participating in women’s conferences and meetings. With his wife’s encouragement, in 1975, President Gerald R. Ford created the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year by executive order.

This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford and American journalist Tom Brokaw was taken by David Hume Kennerly on January 3, 1976. Brokaw interviewed Ford in the Library of the White House, where they discussed foreign policy. The interview was aired on January 5 on NBC.

In this photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick, President Gerald R. Ford welcomes soccer superstar Pelé in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 28, 1975. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé visited the White House while in town with his team the New York Cosmos, who were scheduled to play against the Washington Diplomats in a North American Soccer League match that weekend. Pelé showed President Ford his juggling skills, seen here, before the president tried his hand at the soccer skill. Also attending the event were Joao Augusto de Araujo Castro, Brazilian ambassador to the United States; Joseph Danzansky, owner of the New York Cosmos; Clive Toye, general manager of the Cosmos; Steven Leipsner, general manager of the Washington Diplomats; and Julio Mazzei, Pelé’s adviser and longtime friend, who served as his interpreter.

In this photograph by David Hume Kennerly, President Gerald R. Ford welcomes soccer superstar Pelé in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 28, 1975. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé visited the White House while in town with his team the New York Cosmos, who were scheduled to play against the Washington Diplomats in a North American Soccer League match that weekend. Pelé showed President Ford his juggling skills before the president, seen here, tried his hand at the soccer skill. Also attending the event were Joao Augusto de Araujo Castro, Brazilian ambassador to the United States; Joseph Danzansky, owner of the New York Cosmos; Clive Toye, general manager of the Cosmos; Steven Leipsner, general manager of the Washington Diplomats; and Julio Mazzei, Pelé’s adviser and longtime friend, who served as his interpreter.

In this photograph by Bill Fitz-Patrick, President Gerald R. Ford welcomes soccer superstar Pelé in the Rose Garden of the White House on June 28, 1975. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pelé visited the White House while in town with his team the New York Cosmos, who were scheduled to play against the Washington Diplomats in a North American Soccer League match that weekend. Pelé showed President Ford his juggling skills, seen here, before the president tried his hand at the soccer skill. Also attending the event were Joao Augusto de Araujo Castro, Brazilian ambassador to the United States; Joseph Danzansky, owner of the New York Cosmos; Clive Toye, general manager of the Cosmos; Steven Leipsner, general manager of the Washington Diplomats; and Julio Mazzei, Pelé’s adviser and longtime friend, who served as his interpreter.

This photograph of First Lady Betty Ford with designer Frankie Welch was taken by Karl Schumacher in the West Sitting Hall on February 15, 1975. Welch was one of the first designers to design “across the aisle,” creating gowns and scarves for first ladies Pat Nixon, Lady Bird Johnson, and Rosalynn Carter in addition to Mrs. Ford. After earning a degree in clothing and design at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, Welch relocated with her husband to Maryland, where she taught “clothes coordination” classes at the local university. Welch’s work is frequently described as “Americana,” and she often used the proceeds of her designs to give back to communities. Welch integrated her love of American culture and history in her designs, leaving a unique mark on the lexicon of American fashion.

In this photograph, taken by David Hume Kennelly, First Lady Betty Ford poses in the Treaty Room on December 24, 1975. The Treaty Room is located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion and is used as the president’s private study. Mrs. Ford is wearing a dress designed by Frankie Welch.

First Lady Betty Ford wore this dark pink brocade gown by designer Frankie Welch twice during the 1974 holiday season. The gown features detailed gold embroidery of chrysanthemums throughout with a V neck in front and a high-neck collar influenced by the traditional cheongsam dress.

This green satin gown is a recreation of an identical gown made by designer Frankie Welch for First Lady Betty Ford. Since there were no inaugural celebrations when President Gerald R. Ford was sworn into office following Richard M. Nixon’s resignation, Mrs. Ford wore this gown to two state dinners at the White House, as well as several other events. The gown, in Mrs. Ford’s favorite shade of green, features an embroidered surface design in a chrysanthemum pattern and sequins sewn throughout. The symmetry of the high neck and the deep V neckline was a very fashionable silhouette for the time.

First Lady Betty Ford wore this lemon-yellow chiffon Frankie Welch gown for a state dinner with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel in September 1974. This gown features a yellow, sheer chiffon layer with polka dots over a solid yellow spaghetti strapped dress. There are ruffles at the neckline, hem, and sleeves, and a satin bow around the waist. The gown closes with a zipper closure up the center back.

This black and white photograph by David Hume Kennerly shows President Gerald R. Ford swimming in the new White House swimming pool for reporters on July 5, 1975. The swimming pool is located on the South Grounds of the White House and is different from the one built in 1933 during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, which was indoors and covered over in 1970 to become the Press Room. President Ford's first swim in the pool came just a few days earlier, on July 1.

This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford with members of Indiana University men's basketball team was taken by Bill Fitz-Patrick on April 20, 1976. President Ford welcomed the Hoosiers to the Rose Garden following their victory over the University of Michigan at the NCAA Division I Men's Championship that March. Bobby Knight, the Hoosier's legendary coach, joined the team for the visit.

In this photograph, taken by Karl Schumacher on December 9, 1976, First Lady Betty Ford shows a Christmas ornament to an unidentified guest in the Red Room at a reception following the press preview for the 1976 White House holiday decorations. Notably, on a guéridon table behind Mrs. Ford is a cranberry tree. Mrs. Ford initiated the tradition of displaying a cranberry tree in the Red Room in 1975, and it has remained a traditional part of the White House seasonal decorations ever since. In 1976, First Lady Betty Ford selected the theme "Love that is the Spirit of Christmas" for her holiday theme. Coinciding with the year of the American bicentennial, the decorations included patriotic dioramas and ornaments on the Blue Room Christmas Tree representing the state flowers from each of the fifty states.

In this photograph by Karl Schumacher, First Lady Betty Ford poses with members of the U.S. Olympic ski team on December 27, 1975. Mrs. Ford toured the ski slopes with the team during the Ford family's Christmas vacation to Vail, Colorado. The athletes later competed at the 1976 Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

In this photograph, taken by Bill Fitz-Patrick, President Gerald R. Ford greets former Olympic champion Rafer Johnson in the Cabinet Room. Johnson was visiting the White House for the first meeting of the President’s Commission on Olympic Sports (PCOS) on September 9, 1975. President Ford created the commission in response to continuing conflicts among U.S. amateur sports organizations and declining performance by the U.S. in the Olympic games and other international competitions. Johnson won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy. He previously won the silver in the event at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Johnson had an illustrious and varying career that included acting and involvement with the Special Olympics.

This photograph of President Gerald R. Ford was taken by Bill Fitz-Patrick on July 10, 1976. President Ford was visiting Plattsburgh, New York to speak at a farewell ceremony for the U.S. Summer Olympics team ahead of their departure for the games to be held in Montreal, Canada.