This engraving of the capture of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812 was created by London printers J and J Cundee in 1815 and used as an illustration in an edition of Paul Rapin's multi-volume "History of England." British troops entered and burned the capital, including the White House, on August 24, 1814. Though British forces occupied the city for only a short time, they inflicted serious damage. President James Madison escaped the White House before the attack, but finished out his second term in the nearby Octagon House and a row house in "Six Buildings" complex on Pennsylvania while the White House was rebuilt.

This wood engraving appeared in "Harper's Weekly" and is entitled "A 'Powwow' at the White House." The engraving shows President Hayes meeting with Native Americans in the East Room of the White House. Hayes hosted several Native American delegations during his time in office.

This oil on tin painting by an unknown artist is replicated from a steel engraving by William Henry Bartlett. The painting is an early representation of the United States Capitol with a dusty, bare ground surrounding it. Builders, planners, and passersby are scattered across the foreground.

This engraving by John Chester Buttre is of President James Buchanan. This image was influenced from a daguerreotype by Mathew Brady. Buttre completed the engraving in the mid-19th century. Before being elected as the fifteenth president of the United States, Buchanan served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and Senate for the state of Pennsylvania, secretary of state, and the United States minister to Russia and Great Britain.

This spoon was made by Elizabeth Tookey in London between 1768 and 1769 and originally belonged to Bathurst Skelton, the first husband of Martha Wayles Jefferson. Martha married Thomas Jefferson after Skelton's death, but she died nearly twenty years before Jefferson became president. The engraving on the spoon describes its history.

This hand-colored wood engraving by Alfred R. Waud appeared in the centerfold of Harper's Weekly on January 25, 1862. Waud made a sketch in person at the reception, which was the basis for the engraving. Abraham Lincoln, tallest man present, welcomes guests near a White House doorway during a Grand Reception in January 1862. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase and his daughter Kate greet Mrs. Lincoln, while several Union Army officers fill out the scene.

This lithograph by Eliphalet M. Brown is one of five prints published in 1855 recording Commodore Matthew Perry's expedition to Japan. The lithographs are based on sketch work by William Heine. Brown was known for daguerreotypes as well as lithographs. These images provided Americans with some of their first glimpses of Japan.