• Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2023 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    staff
    Christmas
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    decorations
    food & drink
    gingerbread
    winter holidays
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison with the White House Gingerbread House was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The 2023 White House Gingerbread House, on display in the State Dining Room, commemorated the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The display featured a sugar cookie replica of the book and Santa’s sleigh soaring over the White House grounds.
  • Wedding Portrait of Tricia Nixon Cox
    Dick Winburn
    celebrations
    weddings
    State Floor
    Cross Hall
    Blue Room
    This black and white copy of Tricia Nixon's formal wedding portrait was created on June 25, 1971. Tricia Nixon, the daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, married Edward Cox in a Rose Garden ceremony on June 12, 1971. The original photograph was taken by Dick Winburn. In the portrait, Tricia Nixon is captured in the doorway separating the Cross Hall and, behind her, the Blue Room on the State Floor of the White House. An American flag is to the right and a flag with the Presidential Seal is on the left.
  • Designer Geoffrey Beene with Lynda Bird Johnson's Wedding Veil
    Yoichi R. Okamoto
    weddings
    celebrations
    Second Floor
    Center Hall
    clothing & accessories
    fashion
    In this photograph by Yoichi R. Okamoto, designer Geoffrey Beene holds up the shoulder-length veil worn by Lynda Bird Johnson at her wedding on December 9, 1967. Beene was captured in the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House that day ahead of the wedding ceremony. Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, married Marine Corps Capt. Charles S. Robb in the East Room. The veil was made of silk illusion and attached to a coronet made of the same silk satin fabric and embroidery as her gown.
  • Table Settings for the State Dinner for the Prime Minister of Ireland
    Ricardo Thomas
    staff
    residence staff
    State Visit
    State Floor
    State Dinner
    State Dining Room
    St. Patrick's Day
    This photograph of the table settings for the State Dinner in held honor of Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave of Ireland and his wife, Vera Cosgrave, was taken on March 17, 1976, by Ricardo Thomas. The table settings include the Lyndon B. Johnson State Service, bronze sculptures, and John F. Kennedy glassware. In the background waiters and butlers from the White House staff make preparations.
  • Chief Usher at the 2022 Official White House Christmas Tree
    Matthew D'Agostino
    winter holidays
    staff
    Christmas Tree arrival
    Christmas
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Chief Usher Robert B. Downing at the arrival of the 2022 Official White House Christmas tree was taken by Matthew D'Agostino on November 21, 2022 on the North Drive of the White House. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden welcomed the 18.5-foot Concolor Fir from Auburn, Pennsylvania alongside her grandson, Beau Biden, Jr. The tree was presented by Paul and Pam Shealer, the 2022 National Christmas Tree Association's (NCTA) champion growers, and cultivated at the Shealers' Evergreen Acres Tree Farm in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The tree was delivered by horse-drawn carriage and carefully escorted to the Blue Room, where it remained on display for the holiday season. Since 1966, the Christmas tree displayed in the Blue Room has been presented to the White House following a contest run by the National Christmas Tree Association.
  • Red Room Decorated for the Holidays, Ford Administration
    Karl Schumacher
    winter holidays
    decorations
    State Floor
    Christmas
    Red Room
    This photograph of the Red Room decorated for the holidays was taken by Karl Schumacher on December 13, 1974 during the Gerald R. Ford administration. The decorations included a patchwork quilt on the table, tabletop topiaries with cranberries, and ivy on the mantel. First Lady Betty Ford selected handmade crafts as the theme for the holiday decor. The theme promoted Americana and provided inspiration for thrifty decorations, as many households limited their holiday budgets due to a poor economy.
  • State Dining Room Decorated for the Holidays, Ford Administration
    Karl Schumacher
    Christmas
    State Floor
    decorations
    winter holidays
    State Dining Room
    This photograph of Christmas decorations in the State Dining Room was taken by Karl Schumacher on December 13, 1974. A patchwork quilt is on the table, with dolls of Mr. and Mrs. Clause and elves as a centerpiece. The fireplace mantel is decorated with candles and a garland of poinsettias and ivy. The walls, sconces, and chandelier are also decorated with garlands, alongside a topiary made from poinsettias in the corner of the room. First Lady Betty Ford selected handmade crafts as the theme for the holiday decor. The theme promoted Americana and provided inspiration for thrifty decorations, as many households limited their holiday budgets due to a poor economy.
  • View of the Grand Staircase from the Entrance Hall
    Karl Schumacher
    winter holidays
    decorations
    State Floor
    Christmas
    Entrance Hall
    Grand Staircase
    This photograph taken by Karl Schumacher shows the view of the Grand Staircase from the Entrance Hall decorated for Christmas on December 13, 1974. The Grand Staircase was trimmed with garlands and bows. The light standards flanking the doorway are decorated with a garland and topped with foil angels and candles. First Lady Betty Ford selected handmade crafts as the theme for the holiday decor. The theme promoted Americana and provided inspiration for thrifty decorations, as many households limited their holiday budgets due to a poor economy.
  • "How to Discover America in Style" White House Fashion Show
    United States Information Agency
    South Portico
    South Grounds
    clothing & accessories
    fashion
    This photograph was taken at the "How to Discover America in Style" fashion show at the White House on February 29, 1968. The first fashion show to take place at the White House, it was presented by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and guests included an assembled group of the wives of the governors of the United States, fashion designers, and journalists. The fashion show took place in the State Dining Room along with a luncheon. Frankie Welch, one of the first designers to design “across the aisle,” creating gowns and scarves for Mrs. Johnson and first ladies Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, and Rosalynn Carter, was among the designers featured in the fashion show. Her "Discover America" scarf, seen here on the underside brim of a sunhat, was used throughout the show and was given as a thank you gift to attendees.
  • "How to Discover America in Style" White House Fashion Show
    United States Information Agency
    State Dining Room
    State Floor
    clothing & accessories
    fashion
    This photograph was taken at the "How to Discover America in Style" fashion show at the White House on February 29, 1968. The first fashion show to take place at the White House, it was presented by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and guests included an assembled group of the wives of the governors of the United States, fashion designers, and journalists. The fashion show took place in the State Dining Room along with a luncheon. Frankie Welch, one of the first designers to design “across the aisle,” creating gowns and scarves for Mrs. Johnson and first ladies Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, and Rosalynn Carter, was among the designers featured in the fashion show. Her "Discover America" scarf, seen here on on flagpoles held by the models, was used throughout the show and was given as a thank you gift to attendees.
  • Press Secretary Connie Stuart Addresses Members of the Press
    Byron E. Schumaker
    South Grounds
    South Lawn
    press
    staff
    wedding
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    This photograph of press secretary and staff director to First Lady Pat Nixon, Constance “Connie” Cornell Stuart, addressing members of the press was taken on June 12, 1971. That day, Tricia Nixon -- eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon -- married Edward Cox at the White House in a Rose Garden ceremony followed by a reception in the East Room. Press members outnumbered the 400 wedding guests by approximately two to one, with the White House issuing around 700 press credentials. There was also a yellow and white striped tent at the tennis pavilion, which served as an outdoor press room.
  • Press Secretary Connie Stuart Addresses Members of the Press
    Byron E. Schumaker
    wedding
    staff
    press
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    This photograph of press secretary and staff director to First Lady Pat Nixon, Constance “Connie” Cornell Stuart, addressing members of the press was taken on June 12, 1971. That day, Tricia Nixon -- eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon -- married Edward Cox at the White House in a Rose Garden ceremony followed by a reception in the East Room. Press members outnumbered the 400 wedding guests by approximately two to one, with the White House issuing around 700 press credentials. There was also a yellow and white striped tent at the tennis pavilion, which served as an outdoor press room.
  • Preparations for an East Room Wedding Reception
    Karl Schumacher
    wedding
    East Room
    State Floor
    This photograph taken on June 11, 1971 by Karl Schumacher shows preparations for the wedding reception of Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox in the East Room of the White House. Their wedding -- which took place the next day -- was the 16th documented wedding to take place at the White House and the first to be held in the Rose Garden or outdoors. Nixon was the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon. Approximately 400 guests watched the first daughter marry Edward Cox, then a law student, in the Rose Garden the following day.
  • Tricia Nixon's Wedding Place Setting
    Byron E. Schumaker
    President's Dining Room
    Second Floor
    tableware
    place settings
    This photograph of a dinner service place setting featuring Tricia Nixon's china pattern was taken by Byron E. Schumaker on May 8, 1971. The place setting is on a table in the President's Dining Room. The room is located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion in the northwest corner. The President's Dining Room was originally a bedroom referred to as the Prince of Wales Room after the 1860 visit of Edward Albert, Queen Victoria's son who would later become King Edward VII. It was not until the John F. Kennedy administration that the room became the President's Dining Room and the main eating room for the First Family. The dining room also features sideboards decorated with pieces of silver and a Zuber & Cie wallpaper depicting scenes from the American Revolution and natural landmarks.
  • Stereograph of the State Dining Room
    John Fillis Jarvis
    Underwood & Underwood
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    This stereograph of the State Dining Room is labeled "State Ding Room in the President's Mansion, Washington, D.C." and was published by John Fillis Jarvis. The table is set with dinner plates from the Rutherford B. Hayes state china service and the Dorflinger glassware, first purchased during the Abraham Lincoln administration, for a formal luncheon on January 6, 1881. The place setting at the lower left is the “raccoon” dinner plate from the Hayes service. The State Dining Room is located on the State Floor of the White House. The room is often the setting for state or official dinners and is the second largest room in the White House.
  • Mrs. Carter and Chef Raffert View 1979 Gingerbread House
    Warren K. Leffler
    winter holidays
    staff
    gingerbread
    food & drink
    decorations
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    Residence staff
    Christmas
    In this photograph taken by Warren K. Leffler, First Lady Rosalynn Carter and White House Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert view a gingerbread house in the State Dining Room of the White House on December 10, 1979. Chef Raffert created his first German A-frame gingerbread house for the Nixon White House holiday decorations in 1969, where they subsequently became an annual tradition. Even after the A-frame design was no longer used, Raffert's skills were often used to create the Official White House Gingerbread House until his retirement in 1992.
  • Chef Morrison with the 2021 White House Gingerbread House
    David Wiegold
    winter holidays
    decorations
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    staff
    Residence staff
    This photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison posing by the White House Gingerbread House in the State Dining Room Room was taken by David Wiegold on November 29, 2021 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. Constructed by the White House pastry team from baked gingerbread, pastillage, chocolate, and royal icing, the display featured eight community buildings representing the essential workplaces of frontline employees. For their first year in the White House, President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden chose the theme, "Gifts from the Heart." The theme was meant to honor the things we cherish and bring us together despite the obstacles posed by a pandemic, time, and distance.
  • Staff Prepare for Millennium Reception
    William Vasta
    staff
    meals
    State Floor
    Residence staff
    New Year's
    East Room
    receptions
    This photograph of White House Residence staff preparing for a millennium reception in the East Room was taken by William Vasta on December 31, 1999. To mark the final day of the 20th century, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted a candlelit dinner in the East Room to recognize partner institutions who had supported the Clinton administration's goals of "honoring the past and supporting the future," by leading environmental and community programs over the previous two years. Attendees at the event included representatives from the office of Mayor Anthony Williams and the government of the District of Columbia, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, the National Parks Foundation, and members of Congress.
  • Decorating the Blue Room Christmas Tree, 1971
    Karl Schumacher
    winter holidays
    staff
    decorations
    State Floor
    Residence staff
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Blue Room
    Christmas
    In this photograph, taken by Karl Schumacher on December 10, 1971, White House staff members including social secretary Lucy Winchester (right) examine ornaments for the Blue Room Christmas Tree. The unadorned Christmas tree can be seen in the background. An unidentified woman in the center of the photograph holds a velvet and satin "State Flower" ornament. Following the success of First Lady Pat Nixon's "American Flower" Christmas tree in 1969, similar ornaments were remade for the Blue Room Christmas Tree in 1971, which was also decorated with gold foil angels.