• East Room Decorated for the Roosevelt-Longworth Wedding
    Harris & Ewing
    weddings
    State Floor
    East Room
    celebrations
    decorations
    In this photograph, the East Room of the White House is elegantly decorated for the wedding of Alice Roosevelt to Nicholas Longworth, which took place on February 17, 1906. Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Lee Roosevelt, married Longworth, a member of the House of Representatives from the state of Ohio, before an estimated one thousand guests in attendance. The dais, pictured here, was set up along the large window on the east side of the room. Astilbe japonicas, palm fronds, Easter lilies, greenhouse smilax, asparagus vines, bride roses, and rhododendrons filled the room and white satin ribbons covered the ropes that created the aisle amongst all of the invited guests.
  • Flower Girls for the Wilson-McAdoo Wedding
    Harris & Ewing
    celebrations
    weddings
    This photograph captures two flower girls dressed in their wedding ensembles with baskets of flowers for the wedding ceremony of Eleanor Wilson and William G. McAdoo (sometimes referred to as W. G. McAdoo). Eleanor Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married McAdoo, President Wilson's secretary of the Treasury, in the East Room of the White House on May 7, 1914. The flower girls were likely dressed in custom Kurzman dresses. It is believed that Kurzman created the gowns for Eleanor’s trousseau as well as the whole family.
  • Wedding Portrait of Eleanor Wilson McAdoo
    Harris & Ewing
    celebrations
    weddings
    This portrait photograph of Eleanor Wilson McAdoo in her wedding gown was taken by Harris & Ewing. Eleanor Wilson McAdoo, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married William G. McAdoo (sometimes referred to as W. G. McAdoo) in the East Room of the White House on May 7, 1914. McAdoo served as the secretary of the Treasury during the Woodrow Wilson administration. Eleanor Wilson McAdoo wore an ivory white satin fabric for the base of her wedding gown, which was custom-made by New York designer Charles Kurzman of Kurzman of Fifth Avenue. The dress featured a v-shaped neckline, long sleeves of tulle, a three and a half foot-long train, and was trimmed with rare old point lace. Her tulle veil attached to a cap with orange blossoms and carried a bouquet of orange blossoms, white lilies of the valley, and white orchids.
  • East Room Decorated for the Wilson-Sayre Wedding
    Harris & Ewing
    weddings
    celebrations
    State Floor
    East Room
    decorations
    In this photograph, the East Room of the White House is decorated for the wedding of Jessie Woodrow Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, to Francis Bowes Sayre on November 25, 1913. The ceremony took place at an altar constructed in the East Room surrounded by palms, maidenhair ferns, and annunciation lilies, which complemented Jessie’s bouquet.
  • Rep. Byrns with a Portrait of Sarah Yorke Jackson
    Harris & Ewing
    Congress
    west view
    arts & culture
    ceremonies
    dedication
    This photograph from Harris & Ewing is of Representative Joseph "Jo" Wellington Byrns of Tennessee outside the West Wing circa 1920-1921. Byrns is photographed with an unnamed woman and a portrait of Sarah Yorke Jackson, the wife of Andrew Jackson Jr., who was the adopted son of President Andrew Jackson. Sarah filled the role of White House hostess during the last months of the Jackson administration and her portrait was added to the White House Collection in 1924. Byrns would go on to serve as the 41st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1935 to 1936. To see the portrait of Sarah Yorke Jackson, see asset 3735 in the Digital Library.
  • Donation of G. P. A. Healy's Portrait of Abraham Lincoln
    Harris & Ewing
    military
    dedication
    ceremonies
    arts & culture
    Residence staff
    staff
    In this photograph, Capt. Howard Ker of the United States Army Corp of Engineers accepts the donation of G. P. A. Healy's 1869 portrait of President Abraham Lincoln at the White House on March 22, 1939. Capt. Ker was in charge of the buildings and grounds of the White House at the time. The portrait came into possession of the White House following the death of Mary Harlan Lincoln (wife of President Lincoln's eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln) in 1937 and her daughter, Mary Todd "Mamie" Lincoln Isham, in 1938. According to her will, the portrait of President Lincoln was to be offered to the U.S. government following the death of her daughter as long as it was promised to be placed on display in the White House. To see Healy's portrait of President Lincoln, see asset number 5 in the Digital Library.
  • National Christmas Tree Lighting, 1932
    Harris & Ewing
    winter holidays
    Ellipse
    Christmas
    Christmas Tree lighting
    In this photograph, taken on December 24, 1932, Vice President Charles Curtis, his wife Anna Baird Curtis, and Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas pose in front of the National Christmas Tree during the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on the Ellipse. This was the first year the president was not in attendance since the ceremony's induction in 1924; Vice President Curtis lit the tree on behalf of President Herbert Hoover. The ceremony also marked the first instance of the "Singing Tree" tradition, in which the sound of Christmas carols played on a Victrola in a nearby police box could be heard over loudspeakers hidden in the tree.
  • President Coolidge Signs Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact
    Harris & Ewing
    treaties
    signing
    State Floor
    East Room
    Congress
    Cabinet
    In this photograph, taken on January 17, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge signs the Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact in the East Room of the White House. Crafted by Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg and French Foreign Minister Aristide Briand in light of the casualties that resulted from World War I, the international peace proposal committed 15 nations to outlawing aggression and war in settling disputes. The agreement was signed in Paris on August 27, 1928 and signed by Coolidge following ratification by Congress. Here, Coolidge signs the agreement on the former Cabinet table purchased for the White House during the Ulysses S. Grant administration. Among those in also attendance were Vice President Charles Gates Dawes, Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, Secretary of War Dwight Filley Davis, Senator William Edgar Borah, Senator Claude Augustus Swanson, and Vice President-elect Charles Curtis.
  • Hoover Cabinet Members Visit White House at Christmastime
    Harris & Ewing
    winter holidays
    decorations
    North Portico
    North Door
    Cabinet
    In this photograph, guests including members of President Herbert Hoover's Cabinet and their spouses pose outside of the North Door of the White House. Trees flank either side of the door and a wreath hangs above for the holiday season. Among those pictured here is Vice President Charles Curtis, Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams III, and Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur.
  • President Franklin D. Roosevelt Greets Native Americans
    Harris & Ewing
    transportation
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    American Indians
    In this photograph, taken in May 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt receives a group of American Indians from the Pueblo nation on the South Drive. The president is pictured seated in an open convertible. The guests visited the White House to express support for legislation sponsored by U.S. Commissioner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs John Collier, which protected Pueblo land from encroaching agricultural interests.
  • President Coolidge with American Indian Delegation
    Harris & Ewing
    American Indians
    delegation
    west view
    In this photograph, President Calvin Coolidge poses alongside a group of American Indian men outside the West Wing of the White House. Following the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, Coolidge invited delegations from many American Indian nations to the White House. During his presidency, Coolidge increased public perception of the challenges faced by American Indian communities, while promoting assimilation into American society.
  • President Coolidge with Sgt. I-See-O and Members of the Kiowa Nation
    Harris & Ewing
    south view
    delegation
    South Grounds
    American Indians
    military
    In this photograph, President Calvin Coolidge poses with Sgt. I-See-O (Plenty Fires), or Tahbonemah, and other members of the Kiowa nation on the South Grounds outside the West Wing. The White House residence and South Portico are visible in the background. A veteran who served as a scout for the United States Army for nearly 50 years, I-See-O was recognized and provided for in his old age by a special act from Congress.
  • American Indian Group Visits the Rose Garden
    Harris & Ewing
    west view
    pets
    West Terrace
    South Grounds
    Rose Garden
    American Indians
    This photograph was taken around February 1922. It shows a group of unidentified men in the West Garden, including some dressed in traditional American Indian attire and headdresses. Several people and a dog converse the West Terrace above. The dog is likely Laddie Boy, President Warren G. Harding's Airedale terrier. The West Garden was reimagined as a green theater for official ceremonies and rededicated as the Rose Garden during the John F. Kennedy administration.
  • American Indian Group Poses for Photographs by the West Wing
    Harris & Ewing
    American Indians
    west view
    This photograph, taken around February 1922, shows a group of American Indian men gathered near the entrance of the West Wing. A man wearing a traditional headdress photographs the group. Many American Indian delegations traveled to the White House during the 19th and 20th centuries. Although some presidents expressed sympathy for their challenges, they were often met with pressure to concede their lands and assimilate into American society.
  • President Harding Receives Sioux and Crow Chiefs
    Harris & Ewing
    South Grounds
    South Lawn
    American Indians
    Veterans Day
    In this photograph, President Warren G. Harding meets with leaders from the Crow and Sioux nations on the South Grounds on the White House. The group stands in front of the West Garden, which was reimagined as a green theater for official ceremonies and rededicated as the Rose Garden during the John F. Kennedy administration. Here, President Harding and Commissioner of Indian Affairs Charles H. Burke meet with chiefs including Plenty Coups (Alaxchíia Ahú) from the Crow nation, and chiefs Frost, Owl, and Red Horse. The chiefs met with Harding at the White House to present him with a tobacco pouch after representing their people at the burial of the Unknown Soldier, held at Arlington National Ceremony on November 11, 1921. Also in attendance at the burial were presidents Woodrow Wilson and William H. Taft and Vice President Calvin Coolidge. Since 1921, presidents have paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, often in observance of military commemorations including Veterans Day and Memorial Day.
  • President Coolidge with Comanche Delegation
    Harris & Ewing
    Congress
    American Indians
    delegation
    This photograph, taken on March 13, 1928, shows president Calvin Coolidge with a group of American Indians outside of the White House. The group is believed to be a delegation from the Comanche nation, headquartered near Lawton, Oklahoma. Also pictured at far right is Senator William Bliss Pine of Oklahoma. Pine, a successful oil businessman, was the elected representative from Okmulgee, Oklahoma, capital of the Creek (or Muscogee) nation. Following the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, Coolidge invited delegations from many American Indian nations to the White House. During his presidency, Coolidge increased public perception of the challenges faced by American Indian communities, while promoting assimilation into American society.
  • President Coolidge with American Indian Delegation
    Harris & Ewing
    south view
    delegation
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    American Indians
    west view
    In this photograph, President Calvin Coolidge poses alongside a group of American Indian visitors including men, women, and children on the South Grounds of the White House. At left of the group is the the West Garden. The West Garden was reimagined as a green theater for official ceremonies and rededicated as the Rose Garden during the John F. Kennedy administration. Following the enactment of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, Coolidge invited delegations from many American Indian nations to the White House. During his presidency, Coolidge increased public perception of the challenges faced by American Indian communities, while promoting assimilation into American society.
  • President and Mrs. Harding and Guests Descend the South Portico
    Harris & Ewing
    American Indians
    South Portico
    east view
    Jacqueline Kennedy Garden
    In this photograph, President Warren G. Harding and First Lady Florence Kling Harding descend the east staircase of the South Portico with guests who are dressed in traditional American Indian attire. During his presidency, Warren G. Harding welcomed several prominent members of the American Indian community at the White House including Chief Plenty Coups (Alaxchíia Ahú) from the Crow nation, and Chief Buffalo Bear and Princess Buffalo Bear of the Sioux nation. The East Garden is partially visible on the right side of this photograph. The garden was rededicated as the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden in 1965 by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt Contributes to Women's Olympic Fund
    Harris & Ewing
    sports
    South Portico
    In this photograph, taken on April 10, 1939, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt makes the inaugural contribution to the Women's Olympic Fund. The fund was created to help send track, swimming, and field teams to the 1940 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. In 1940, the Olympic Games were cancelled due to World War II. The Olympic Games did not resume until the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. Helsinki later hosted the 1951 Summer Olympics. Pictured in this photograph from left to right: unidentified child; Mrs. Roosevelt; Delores "Dee" Boeckmann, former Olympic runner and National Chairman of the Women's Track and Field Committee; Hjalmar Johan Fredrik Procopé, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Lucille Brackett, a swimmer from Washington, D.C. The group stands on the balcony of the South Portico outside the Blue Room. A crowd of onlookers on the South Grounds and the Washington Monument are visible in the distance.
  • 1924 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team Visits the White House
    Harris & Ewing
    sports
    White House Guests
    This photograph, taken on June 14, 1924, shows members of the United States Olympic boxing team posing outside the White House. President Calvin Coolidge invited the team to visit prior to their departure for the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. Pictured here, left to right, front row: Fidel LaBarba; Jackie Fields; "Spike" Webb, coach at the United States Naval Academy; Raymond Fee; Joseph I. Salas; back row: George Mullholland; Adolphe Lefkowitch; and A. Allegrini.
  • 1916 New York Yankees Visit the White House
    Harris & Ewing
    sports
    White House Guests
    The photograph of the 1916 New York Yankees was taken by Harris & Ewing. The team is captured outside the West Wing during the Woodrow Wilson administration. Among the team members present during their 1916 visit are: Edward “Slim” Love, Charlie Mullen, Bob Shawkey, Lute Boone, Ray Fisher, Roger Peckinpaugh, Allen Russell, Urban Shocker, Wally Pipp, John Franklin “Home Run” Baker, trainer Jimmy Duggan, and Hugh High.
  • Hosiery Workers Protest Near the White House
    Harris & Ewing
    protest
    Washington, D.C.
    This photograph, taken on January 28, 1938, shows five female hosiery workers protesting against the American boycott of Japanese silk. Three hundred women from the American Federation of Hosiery Workers marched from Union Station to the White House to protest the boycott, which the United States implemented in response to Japan's invasion of China in 1937. In this photograph, a woman holds a sign which asks "Were your lisle stockings made in Nazi Germany?"
  • 1917 Easter Egg Roll on the National Mall,
    Harris & Ewing
    Easter Egg Roll
    Washington, D.C.
    Washington Monument
    This photograph of crowds at the Easter Egg Roll on the grounds of Washington Monument was taken circa 1917 by Harris & Ewing. Due to safety measures because of World War I, the event was moved from the White House to the grounds of the Washington Monument. Dating back to 1878, the Easter Egg Roll is a cherished springtime tradition in Washington, D.C., with children and their families gathering on the South Lawn to enjoy the annual festivities. Although this tradition has continued mostly uninterrupted, periodically, due to food rationing, wartime security measures, the renovation of the White House, and other reasons the White House Easter Egg Roll has to be moved, canceled, or suspended.
  • President Roosevelt Throws First Pitch
    Harris & Ewing
    sports
    Washington, D.C.
    First Family
    Presidential Visit
    In this photograph, taken April 14, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt throws the opening pitch of the baseball season in Washington, D.C. The Washington Senators defeated the New York Yankees with a final score of 1-0. Pictured in the first row of the stands from left to right: presidential secretary Marvin Hunter McIntyre; the president's son Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.; his wife, Ethel du Pont Roosevelt; President Roosevelt; New York Yankees manager Joe McCarthy; Senators player Bucky Harris; Senators owner Clark Griffith; and American League president Will Harridge.
  • Woodrow Wilson and Prize Rooster Winners
    Harris & Ewing
    Alabama
    White House Guests
    World War I
    This photograph is of President Woodrow Wilson with the "Big Four" prize roosters representing the premiers of the victorious powers in World War I outside the main door to the Executive Offices, later known as the West Wing. These roosters were purchased in France and, with a fifth bird (also depicted) that Wilson purchased, would be sold at auction to benefit highway-building in Alabama.