This photograph of the mantel in the State Dining Room was taken by Bruce White in 2010. The mantel is engraved with the blessing written by John Adams, “I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.” The words are taken from a letter written by Adams in 1800 and were engraved on the mantel in 1945 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Truman removed the 1902 mantel and added a green marble mantel as part of the renovation of the White House (1948-1952). This photograph is of the replica of the 1902 mantel returned to the State Dining Room during the Kennedy Restoration in 1961 with the Adams blessing and the carved bison heads added during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt.

This photograph by White House Photographer Michael Geissinger is of John Adams' blessing, which is engraved in the mantel in the State Dining Room. The benediction reads, “I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.” The words are taken from a letter written to Abigail Adams from the President's House by Adams in 1800 and were engraved on the mantel in 1945 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This photograph was taken in 1968, during the Lyndon B. Johnson Administration.

This overmantel glass and painting is framed in gilded red pine. It was given by Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh on behalf of her father, King George VI of Great Britain, upon completion of the Truman Renovation. It was placed in the State Dining Room, and was accompanied by a musical clock gifted by President Vincent Auriol of France, which was placed in the Red Room.

This photograph shows John Adams' blessing on the State Dining Room mantel and was taken in 1961 after the Kennedy restoration. The benediction reads, “I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.” The words are taken from a letter written by Adams in 1800.

This plan for a mantel with an embellished French plate mirror by Benjamin Henry Latrobe reflects a design that combined republican simplicity with high federal style for the Madison's oval drawing room in the White House.

This photograph is of John Adams' blessing, which is engraved in the mantel in the State Dining Room. The benediction reads, “I Pray Heaven To Bestow The Best Of Blessings On This House And All that shall hereafter Inhabit it. May none but Honest and Wise Men ever rule under This Roof.” The words are taken from a letter written to Abigail Adams from the President's House by Adams in 1800 and were engraved on the mantel in 1945 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.