This portrait photograph is of White House staff member Jeremiah "Jerry" Smith. Smith started working at the White House during the Ulysses S. Grant administration in the late 1860s, and served as butler, cook, doorman, and footman until his retirement some 35 years later. Shortly before dying at age 69 in 1904, Smith was visited at his home by President Theodore Roosevelt.

In this photograph, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter greets White House Kitchen staff members in the Ground Floor Corridor during a visit to the White House in 1989. Here, she shakes hands with White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, who she hired to serve as pastry chef for the White House in 1979. Pictured at left of Messier is White House Executive Chef Hans Raffert. Raffert began his career in the White House Kitchen as assistant executive chef in 1969. In 1988, he became the first member of the White House Kitchen staff to be promoted to the position of White House Executive Chef.

In this photograph, First Lady Laura Welch Bush shakes hands with White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier in the East Room upon his retirement on July 30, 2004. In recognition of his 25 years of service at the White House, Mesnier was presented his workbench as a retirement gift. A plaque denoting his tenure was specially made for the piece.

This photograph of William Andrew Johnson was taken in February 1937. William Andrew Johnson was born into slavery in the household of Andrew Johnson and brought to the Johnson White House to work as a free servant after his emancipation. In 1937, after being interviewed by journalist Ernie Pyle, William Johnson gained national recognition as the last surviving individual to be formerly enslaved by an American president. As a result, he was invited to the White House to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt, where the president gifted Johnson a silver-headed, engraved cane. In this photograph, Johnson is pictured with the cane on the steps of the United States Capitol Building.

This photograph of Clarence L. Dalrymple of the White House police force was taken on February 18, 1920. Dalrymple guarded seven presidents over the course of his 40-year career, which spanned from 1898-1938. Dalrymple typically guarded the side entrance of the West Wing on West Executive Avenue, a favorite spot for newspaper reporters and press photographers. At the end of his career, Dalrymple served as a captain in the uniformed Secret Service, which was established in 1930.

In this photograph, taken on January 23, 1981, President Ronald Reagan gets a haircut in the West Wing Barber Shop from White House barber Milton Pitts. Originally from South Carolina, Pitts became acquainted with politicians and diplomats while working as a barber at the Sheraton-Carlton Hotel in Washington, D.C. In 1970, he was invited to open a small barber shop in the basement of the West Wing, where he served as barber to presidents Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

This black-and-white photograph of three White House chauffeurs was taken on December 27, 1919. Pictured from left to right: Francis H. Robinson, William Miller, and Edward White. White House chauffeurs served as drivers for the first family after automobiles were introduced to the White House during the William Howard Taft administration. Here, the chauffeurs are likely pictured outside the White House garage, formerly the White House stables.

This black-and-white photograph of White House executive clerk Maruice C. Latta was taken in 1917. Latta served nine presidents during his career at the White House from 1898-1948. Known for his integrity, institutional knowledge, and stenographic skill, by the end of his career he supervised over 200 staff members and assisted multiple incoming presidents adjust to the demands and procedures of their new position.

This black-and-white photograph shows doorkeeper Patrick "Pat" E. McKenna stationed at his desk outside the president's office in the West Wing in January 1935. McKenna served seven administrations as doorkeeper to the president from 1903-1940. In his role, McKenna interacted daily with politicians, diplomats, and White House staffers and determined which visitors received an audience with the president. He passed away following an illness on July 1, 1940.

This black-and-white photograph shows Ira R. T. Smith sorting mail in the White House Mail Room in 1938. Smith served nine presidents during his 50 year career in the White House Mail Room. He started as a mail clerk during the William McKinley administration, and retired as the chief of mails during the Henry S. Truman administration in 1948. Smith's duties included inspecting mail for safety, reading letters addressed to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, and selecting messages to pass on to members of the first family or significant government officials. Smith documented his experiences in his memoir "Dear Mr. President," originally published in 1949.

This black-and-white photograph of White House messenger Edgar R. Beckley on the North Drive of the White House was taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston. Beckley served as White House Messenger for nearly 40 years, from the Ulysses S. Grant to the Theodore Roosevelt administrations. In his role, Beckley travelled across Washington, D.C. on horseback to deliver important messages from the president. In 1908, Beckley was transferred to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where he worked until his retirement in 1920.

This black-and-white, photographic portrait of longtime White House staff member Col. William H. Crook was taken by Frances Benjamin Johnston around 1890. Col. Crook served at the White House from 1864-1915. He started as bodyguard and doorman, later advancing to the roles of executive clerk and disbursing officer of the White House. Col. Crook documented his experiences in his memoir, "Through Five Administrations," originally published in 1910.

In this photograph, taken by Susan Sterner on January 4, 2005, First Lady Laura Welch Bush and White House Curator William G. Allman oversee the installation of window fixtures in the Lincoln Bedroom. The window fixtures were installed as part of Mrs. Bush's refurbishment project to restore the historical accuracy of the space and the adjoining Lincoln Sitting Room. Additional enhancements added to the room included period appropriate carpeting, wallpaper, and window hangings, a bed cornice, as well as the only marble mantel in the White House original to the era.

In this photograph, taken by Eric Draper on January 21, 2001, White House Curator Betty Monkman leads a tour in the Green Room of the White House. The tour was held the day after George W. Bush was sworn-in as the 43rd President of the United States. Betty Monkman joined the White House Office of the Curator in 1967, and served there until her retirement in 2002. She became the sixth White House Curator upon the retirement of Rex Scouten in 1997. A regular contributor to the White House Historical Association's award-winning journal “White House History Quarterly,” Betty Monkman is also the author of the White House Historical Association publications “The White House: Its Historic Furnishings and First Families,” and “The Living White House.”

This black-and-white photograph shows White House Assistant Curator Lydia Barker Tederick at her desk in the White House Curator's Office. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Tederick began working at the White House Office of the Curator in 1979. In her official capacity, she has lectured and published articles on the White House collection and serves on the White House History Quarterly Editorial Advisory for the White House Historical Association. She became the eighth individual to hold the title of White House Curator upon the retirement of William G. Allman in 2017. This photograph was taken by Tina Hager on July 23, 2004 as part of a White House Photo Office project on White House Residence staff.

In this photograph by Robert L. Knudsen, workers repaint the Ground Floor Corridor on September 13, 1961. The painting was part of the refurbishment and restoration of the White House under the guidance of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on September 4, 1963, shows White House Executive Chef René Verdon and Maître d’Hotel Charles E. Ficklin working in the Family Kitchen on the Second Floor of the White House. Located near the private residence and guestrooms, the Family Kitchen accommodates the preparation of simple meals and snacks by members of the first family.

In this photograph, James Roe Ketchum, a National Park Service employee, is shown in the restored White House Library placing a lighthouse clock by Simon Willard and Son. Ketchum was brought into the White House to assist in the busy curator’s office as a registrar. The registrar supports the work of the White House curator, who is responsible for managing and preserving the historic art and furnishings of the White House Collection to museum-quality standards. The White House Office of the Curator was created by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. In October 1963, at the age of 24, he was asked to take over as curator upon the departure of William Voss Elder III.

This photograph of Jacqueline Kennedy and her son John F. Kennedy, Jr, posing for a photograph with White House butlers in the West Sitting Hall prior to her final departure from the White House was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on December 6, 1963. After removing her personal items, Mrs. Kennedy rearranged the remaining furnishings to cover bare spaces in an effort to make the house more welcoming to President Lyndon B. Johnson and his family. The West Sitting Hall is often a favorite for first families. But until 1869, the room was the location of an open stairwell connecting the State Floor to the private residence. President Ulysses S. Grant had the staircase replaced with a smaller one and the room slowly took shape. During the 1902 Theodore Roosevelt renovation, the stairwell was completely removed, allowing the West Sitting Hall to connect with the Center Hall and the rest of the Second Floor residence. The room is noted for the large arched window that mirrors the one in the East Sitting Hall, on the opposite end of the Center Hall.

This photograph of White House curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on June 28, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The curator was on hand to accept the a noteworthy painting of a Hartford, Connecticut family. Donated by the E. and A. Silberman Galleries, this important acquisition was hung in the Lincoln Bedroom, enhancing its Victorian period decor. This painting by an unknown artist is a portrait of a family relaxing in their lounge or parlor, circa 1840-1850. Members of the family of five sit about, playing the piano, working on needlepoint, and playing with the family dog. In the back, a young African American girl serves the mother.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen, visitors join White House curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce in front of a Chinese Coromandel screen first loaned and subsequently given to the White House by Mrs. Boyd Hatch on July 6, 1961. The screen as shown in the photograph was first used in the State Dining Room, it was later moved to the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion. The State Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House. Though Thomas Jefferson used the space as his office, for most of the history of the White House the State Dining room has been a place for large meetings, receptions, and formal events. It was enlarged during President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1902 renovations and can seat up to 140 people. As the second largest area in the White House, the State Dining Room is used for formal dinners to honor heads of state and other dignitaries.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen, a member of Peter Guertler’s staff prepares to paint the Library on September 13, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy administration. The new color scheme of yellow, ivory, and antique gold would reflect suggestions from Henry Du Pont, head of the Fine Arts Committee and French interior designer Stéphane Boudin. Boudin's suggestion was based on the color scheme from the library at Leeds Castle. Guertler was a New York society painter and craftsman, who gifted his services to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s restoration program.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen on September 13, 1961, unidentified workers repaint the Ground Floor Corridor. The painting was part of the refurbishment and restoration of the White House under the guidance of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Like the Cross Hall connecting the rooms on the State Floor above, the Ground Floor Corridor provides access to the rooms on the lower level of the Executive Mansion, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, the China Room, the Vermeil Room, the Map Room, and the Library. Stretching between the East Wing and the West Wing, the Ground Floor Corridor was originally a dimly lit basement hallway, and the rooms along the corridor were service spaces. The arched ceiling vaults were intended to support the State Floor above, although they are now mainly decorative. During President Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, this hallway was transformed into a space for displaying artwork and china.

This photograph of White House curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on September 21, 1961, during the John F. Kennedy. In the photograph, the curator shows a porcelain plate once owned by President John Adams to a visitor in the China Room. The China Room is located on the Ground Floor of the White House and has been used to display ceramics, glass, and other decorative arts since 1917. The pieces on display are a collection of items used in the White House by first families, including state china services commissioned during a presidency.

In this photograph taken by Robert L. Knudsen on September 21, 1961, White House curator Lorraine Waxman Pearce shows a fruit basket from the Abraham Lincoln State Service to an unidentified visitor in the China Room. The China Room is located on the Ground Floor of the White House and has been used to display ceramics, glass, and other decorative arts since 1917. The pieces on display are a collection of items used in the White House by first families, including state china services commissioned during a presidency.