Close Up, East Room Crèche
This photograph, taken in December 1971, shows the 18th century crèche (or nativity scene) on display in the East Room during the Richard M. Nixon administration. The crèche was donated to the White House Collection by Mrs. Charles W. Engelhard, Jr. of Far Hills, New Jersey in 1967. The donation included 39 hand-painted figurines. The 14 foot tall crèche setting display was built by Tony Award-winning stage designer Donald Oenslager, with mechanisms for annual disassembly.