This oil painting by an unknown artist after William Bartlett shows a south view of the White House from the river. It was done during Andrew Jackson's presidency (1829-1837).
This painting by Guy C. Wiggins is of the South Portico of the White House in springtime. The green grass and budding trees frame the White House, which has a large American flag flying above it. Three of his paintings are in the White House Collection.
Front View of the President's House, in the City of Washington
Unknown
White House
north view
This engraving of the north view of the White House illustrates a cover for "The Stranger In America" by Charles William Janson Esq., published by James Cundee in London in 1807.
This painting of the White House from the south is framed in a unique oval shape. The House itself appears distant, with no distinguishing features around the windows or South Portico. Three small boats float along the river in the foreground.
This watercolor by an unknown artist shows the South Portico of the White House during the late 1800s. The watercolor is based after an engraving by V. Foulquier. The conservatory building is visible to the west of the house, but the East Wing and East Corridor are not yet present. Several well-dressed women converse on the lawn while a man and a woman pass each other on horseback in the center of the frame.
This lithograph of the White House by Augustus Kollner was based on a watercolor painting. The view is of the White House from Pennsylvania Avenue and it was done during James K. Polk's presidency (1845-1849).
This photograph of the White House North Portico by E & H.T. Anthony & Co. was printed as a carte de visite. Cartes de visite were the size of visiting cards and were popular Victorian collectables between 1859 and the early 1870s. Much like modern trading cards, they were exchanged between family and friends and displayed in albums. It was taken either in Abraham Lincoln's presidency or Andrew Johnson's.
This architectural sketch of the North Front of the White House was drawn by Samuel Blodget, Jr., a merchant and amateur architect and artist. A fainter inscription, possibly added by a different individual, indicates the sketch was made "in the Presidency of Jefferson and Madison" or circa 1800. Blodget added the carved laurel branches, which were not in place at the time of the sketch.
This photograph of soldiers on the South Lawn of the White House was taken by Mathew Brady in 1862, during Abraham Lincoln's presidency. Brady was one of the first professional photographers in the United States. He studied under inventor Samuel B. Morse, who brought the daguerreotype from France to America. Brady achieved his fame documenting the Civil War. This photograph was printed as a carte de visite, popular Victorian collectables between 1859 and the 1870s. Much like modern trading cards, cartes de visite were exchanged between family and friends and displayed in albums.
This photograph by Mathew Brady is affixed to a decorative mount and shows the bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson that was a prominent fixture in front of the Executive Mansion during the mid-nineteenth century. Brady was one of the first professional photographers in the United States. He studied under inventor Samuel B. Morse, who brought the daguerreotype from France to America. Brady achieved his fame documenting the Civil War. The statue of Thomas Jefferson was commissioned by Navy Lieutenant Uriah Levy and sculpted in France by Pierre-Jean David d’Angers. It was removed from the White House grounds in in 1874 and placed first in National Statuary Hall and then in the Rotunda, both of which are in the Capitol Building.
East Facade: the White House from the Treasury Department
E. & H.T. Anthony & Company
White House
East Terrace
East Entrance
This wet-plate albumen stereoview by E. & H.T. Anthony shows the east facade of the White House, seen from the Treasury Department. It was taken either during Abraham Lincoln's or Andrew Johnson's presidency.
This engraving was drawn by Jules Guerin with a half-tone plate engraved by H. C. Merrill shows the White House West Terrace as seen from the State Dining Room windows. The State, War, and Navy Building, later renamed the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, is in the background. It was commissioned as part of a series during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency (1901-1909) to illustrate the 1902 improvements to the White House.
This painting of the North Portico in springtime is by John Ross Key, grandson of Francis Scott Key, author of "The Star Spangled Banner." The painting shows the White House from across the North Lawn, which is filled with greenery and blooming flowers surrounding the central fountain. Key began his career as a cartographer and draftsman and was a colleague of James McNeill Whistler at the United States Coast Survey when they were both young men.
This black and white photograph of the North Portico is attributed to Henry F. Warren. The boy in the foreground is thought to be Tad Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's younger son.
This stereograph is a rare view of the White House draped in black crepe in mourning for President Abraham Lincoln. The official bereavement period for President Lincoln was thirty days, so this image dates from between April 15 and May 22, 1865. John Alexander, White House decorator and upholsterer, supervised the other funeral arrangements, including building the catafalque, which still survives, upon which Lincoln's coffin rested in the East Room and in the Capitol Building. Note the platform or drawbridge built to the East Room window, to allow exit to viewing mourners and the six hundred people invited to attend the funeral.
This silver print photograph shows the west side of the White House and the entrance to the White House grounds. The large cannon with bronze shield at the bottom visible in the right corner is part of a monument on the grounds of the State War and Navy Building, which is known today the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It was taken during William H. Taft's presidency.
This hand-colored engraving by William Radclyffe shows a rather romanticized view of the White House from the South Grounds. The image eliminates the swampy area that existed between the grounds and the river bank. Radclyffe based his engraving on a drawing by William Henry Bartlett.
This black and white drawing is of the White House from the southeast, with the South Portico rising over a field where a cow grazes. Two figures lean on a fence near the base of the steps leading from the State floor to the ground.
This image is one half of a wet-plate albumen stereoview of the North Grounds of the White House. It was taken either during Abraham Lincoln's presidency or Andrew Johnson's.
This engraving shows visitors at the North Portico of the White House. The artist depicts the visitors at a levee, or public reception, hosted by President Franklin Pierce, who held office from 1853 to 1857. Because he so frequently had visitors at the White House, he became the first president to hire a full-time bodyguard.
The White House, An American Treasure, North Portico
Ray Ellis
White House
This painting of the North Portico decorated for Christmas is by Ray Ellis, who painted several scenes of the White House for the official holiday card, including this one.