• Bergère (Enclosed Armchair), White House Collection
    Pierre-Antoine Bellange
    seats
    furniture
    State Floor
    Blue Room
    furnishings
    This bergère by Pierre-Antoine Bellangé of Paris is part of a 53-piece gilded beechwood suite ordered for the Oval Room (later called the Blue Room) by President James Monroe in 1817. A bergère is an armchair with upholstered and enclosed sides. The bergère is one of two made for the president and first lady. The bergère was photographed by Bruce White in the Blue Room of the White House.
  • Armchair, White House Collection
    A. H. Davenport
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This scrolled-back armchair was created by A. H. Davenport in 1902 during the Theodore Roosevelt administration. The armchair is one of six chairs ordered for the Green Room of the White House. The seats and backs were upholstered in tapestry fabric, making them the most expensive type of armchairs in the Green Room. The chairs were originally painted white but were later gilded in the 1930s.
  • Mahogany Sofa, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furnishings
    furniture
    This mahogany sofa with satinwood and covered in silk was originally owned by Daniel Webster.
  • Conservation of a Bellangé Chair, White House Collection
    Pierre-Antoine Bellange
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This photograph taken during the Clinton Administration shows conservation work being done on one of Pierre-Antoine Bellangé's chairs made for the Blue Room. President James Monroe purchased 53 pieces of furniture for the White House from Bellangé in Paris in 1817.
  • Armchair, Monroe Administration East Room, White House Collection
    William King Jr.
    seats
    White House Collection
    furniture
    furnishings
    This armchair by William King, Jr. of Georgetown was one of 24 that President James Monroe bought for the East Room. This suite may have been inspired by French furniture placed in the Oval Room in 1817.
  • Red Room Herter Brothers Armchair (Detail), White House Collection
    Herter Brothers
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This is a detail photograph of the Herter Brothers chair First Lady Julia Grant purchased for the Red Room. This is the surviving half of a pair of gilded lady's chairs made by Herter Brothers. The arm rests terminate in carved lion's heads, a motif that appears in other Herter pieces, 11 of which were also made for the Red Room. In 1873-1875, the Grants supervised a major redecoration of the White House in preparation for their daughter Nellie’s wedding to Englishman Algernon Sartoris. Throughout the staterooms, Herter Brothers, a renowned New York furniture maker, supplied sophisticated furnishings.
  • Mahogany Side Chair, White House Collection
    Thomas Burling
    White House Collection
    furniture
    furnishings
    seats
    This side chair by Thomas Burling of New York may be from a group of mahogany chairs purchased in 1789 for President George Washington. Burling supplied the household furniture for the first presidential residence. Gift of the Barra Foundation, 1994.
  • Rosewood, Brass, and Hardwood Armchair and Side Chair, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This armchair and side chair are among a set made of rosewood, brass, and hardwood that were purchased in 1861 for the guest bedroom. These pieces are attributed to the New York cabinetmaker John Henry Belter.
  • Armchair and Side Chair, White House Collection
    L. Marcotte & Co.
    furnishings
    seats
    furniture
    White House Collection
    This gilded cherry armchair and painted birch side chair were copied from a French Empire suite in the Chateau de Compiegne outside Paris. They were commissioned from L. Marcotte and Co. of New York, a decorating firm that executed all of the interior decoration of the Blue Room in 1902.
  • Side Chair Attributed to Duncan Phyfe, White House Collection
    Duncan Phyfe
    White House Collection
    seats
    furnishings
    furniture
    This armchair is attributed to Duncan Phyfe of New York. Phyfe was born in Scotland and emigrated to New York in 1784. He became one of the premiere cabinet makers in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, known for blending the previous English Neoclassical and Regency styles together in a distinctive way. Phyfe benefited from his location in New York City on Fulton Street, where he was able to ship his furniture out to the southern States and the rich cotton magnates there, as well as to international ports.
  • Ebony Sofa, White House Collection
    Unknown
    seats
    White House Collection
    furniture
    furnishings
    This ebony sofa with carved, fan-shaped elements in the Japanese manner was part of a suite purchased for the East Room from a Washington firm in 1882.
  • French Armchair, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This painted beechwood armchair has a history of ownership by Dolley Madison after previously being owned by Thomas Jefferson, who purchased it in France and kept it at Monticello. This chair may be amongst furnishings that left Monticello after Jefferson's death. Bruce White is credited for the photograph.
  • Swivel Armchair, Grant Administration, White House Collection
    Unknown
    seats
    furniture
    White House Collection
    furnishings
    This armchair was purchased during the Grant Administration and used in the Cabinet Room until 1902 when it was sold during the Theodore Roosevelt Renovation. Until the construction of the West Wing in 1902, the Cabinet Room was on the east end, second floor of the Executive Mansion. The chair was returned to the collection in 1962.
  • Side Chair and Armchair by A. H. Davenport, White House Collection
    A. H. Davenport
    seats
    White House Collection
    furniture
    furnishings
    This side chair and armchair, in the Queen Anne and William and Mary styles respectively, were designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White and executed by A. H. Davenport. Both firms were involved in the renovation of the East Room, which was updated in the larger 1902 Theodore Roosevelt renovation of the White House.
  • Stuffed-Back Armchair, White House Collection
    Thomas Affleck
    seats
    White House Collection
    furniture
    furnishings
    This stuffed-back armchair, possibly by Thomas Affleck, is copied from a Thomas Chippendale design that was seldom made in 18th century America. The chair was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Lippincott in 1976.
  • Garden Settee, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This painted limestone garden settee is one piece of garden furniture installed in the East Garden by landscape architect Beatrix Jones Farrand at the behest of First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson. The rustic motif of flora and fauna is followed throughout the furniture installed during this redesign.
  • Mahogany Armchair, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This Rococo Revival mahogany armchair has carved likenesses of Presidents Zachary Taylor and Martin Van Buren. Furniture with carved presidential likenesses is rare and this may have been part of a set that included images of other presidents. The chair was a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morton D. May, Jr. in 1961.
  • Maple Side Chair, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This maple side chair made to imitate bamboo is part of two sets of furnishings made for the White House bedrooms in 1870s. This style of furniture became popular in America following Commodore Matthew Perry's return from Japan in 1855.
  • George Washington Armchair, White House Collection
    Adam Hains
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    White House Collection
    This armchair attributed to Adam Hains of Philadelphia belonged to George Washington and possibly came from the President's House at 524-30 Market Street in Philadelphia. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Shepley Evans and the White House Historical Association, 1975.
  • Federal Style Side Chair, White House Collection
    Samuel McIntire
    seats
    White House Collection
    furniture
    furnishings
    This side chair in the Federal style is one of a matching set of eight. It has a rectangular tablet with a carved drapery and star-punched ground. These details are often associated with Samuel McIntire of Salem, Massachusetts. This chair was a gift of the White House Historical Association to the White House in 1961.
  • Gilded Mahogany Banquette, White House Collection
    L. Marcotte & Co.
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This gilded mahogany banquette in the Louis XVI Revival style by L. Marcotte & Co. of New York is part of a 13-piece suite purchased for the East Room in 1902. Marcotte also made window cornices and console tables in this style for the East Room.
  • American Empire Style Side Chair, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This side chair is considered to be of the late Sheraton style and the early American Empire Style. The seat is rectangular and the front two legs are tapered. The chair has a curved top rail with two decorative and gilded brackets adjoined to the chair's top rail and stiles. The side chair was photographed by George Mobley of the National Geographic Service in 1958.
  • Settee, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This settee was used in the Green Room during the John F. Kennedy administration. It is upholstered in late 18th century embroidered cotton and is likely of New England origin. This photograph was taken by Bates Littlehales of the National Geographic Service.
  • Gilded Armchair in Cross Hall, White House Collection
    Unknown
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This photograph shows a gilded armchair of Italian origin situated in the Cross Hall during the Nixon administration. The top rail of the armchair is decorated with a gilded eagle. Both arms are supported with winged griffin type creatures. The curved front legs are shaped at the bottom as lion paw feet. Due to the form, wings, and gilding, this armchair is from the Empire period. The armchair has been on loan to the White House from the Philadelphia Museum of Art since 1973. This photograph is credited to Joseph H. Bailey and Larry D. Kinney of the National Geographic Service.
  • Mahogany and Tulip Poplar Armchair, White House Collection
    Duncan Phyfe
    White House Collection
    seats
    furniture
    furnishings
    This mahogany and tulip poplar chair by Duncan Phyfe of New York was based on earlier English designs and has double-crossed banister backs. Phyfe was born in Scotland and emigrated to New York in 1784. He became one of the premiere cabinet makers in the United States during the first half of the 19th century, known for blending the previous English Neoclassical and Regency styles together in a distinctive way. Phyfe benefited from his location in New York City on Fulton Street, where he was able to ship his furniture out to the southern States and the rich cotton magnates there, as well as to international ports.