• Lynda Johnson and Chuck Robb Cutting Wedding Cake
    Unknown
    wedding
    military
    East Room
    State Floor
    This photograph of Lynda Johnson and Capt. Charles S. Robb cutting their wedding cake was taken on December 9, 1967 in the East Room. Per Marine Corps tradition, the couple uses a saber to cut through the five-layer cake, as they become the 15th couple to be married in the White House. Immediately following the cake-cutting ceremony, the couple performed their first dance.
  • Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty is Signed on the North Lawn
    Unknown
    Head of State
    North Lawn
    This is a photograph of President Jimmy Carter clasping hands with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the signing of the Egypt-Israeli Peace Treaty on the North Lawn, March 26, 1979.
  • President Carter with Grandson Jason at the 1977 Easter Egg Roll
    Unknown
    south lawn
    South Grounds
    Easter Egg Roll
    holidays
    First Family
    This photograph of President Jimmy Carter was taken on April 11, 1977. President Carter is captured holding his grandson, Jason Carter, on his shoulders at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds. Carter and his grandson are surrounded by a crowd of attendees and security. Jason, the son of Carter's eldest son, Jack, was around one and a half years old when this photograph was taken.
  • President Carter Lights First National Menorah
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    Hanukkah
    menorah
    Lafayette Park
    In this photograph, President Jimmy Carter lights a menorah in celebration of Hanukkah on December 17, 1979. This was the first lighting of the National Menorah, and took place in Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. President Carter, in dressed in a tuxedo for a State Dinner held in honor of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, put on an overcoat and walked across the street to the ceremony, which featured a small crowd of a few dozen. The lighting of the National Menorah historically takes place on the Ellipse and is overseen by a politician of the Jewish faith.
  • President and Mrs. Carter with the 1979 Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    Christmas
    decorations
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Blue Room
    State Floor
    This photograph of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter was taken in the Blue Room of the White House on December 13, 1979. In the photograph, President and Mrs. Carter pose in front of the Blue Room Christmas Tree while attending a Christmas Party for the White House Press Corps.
  • Wedding Portrait of Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre
    Unknown
    celebrations
    weddings
    Second Floor
    This portrait photograph of Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre in her wedding gown was taken on November 25, 1913. Jessie, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married Francis Bowes Sayre on that day in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Photographed on the Second Floor of the White House, in either the East or West Sitting Room, Jessie is wearing a wedding gown made of white silk satin woven at the Pelgram and Meyer silk mill in Paterson, New Jersey. The skirt of the gown was narrow at the ankle but had slashes cut in the back, which were hidden by the court train, in order to make it easier for Jessie to walk down the aisle.
  • Alice Roosevelt Longworth's Wedding Bouquet
    Unknown
    celebrations
    flowers
    weddings
    This photograph of Alice Roosevelt Longworth's wedding bouquet was taken circa March 9, 1906. Alice, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Lee Roosevelt, married Nicholas Longworth, a member of the House of Representatives from Ohio, weeks earlier during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on February 17, 1906. Alice’s wedding bouquet was composed of rare varieties of white orchids and maidenhair fern in a cascade fashion, a popular English style of the time. The blossoms were tied together at the stem with white chiffon satin ribbon that extended into the floral cascade. After the ceremony, Alice gave flowers from the bouquet to some of her friends.
  • Wedding Portrait of Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre and Francis Bowes Sayre
    Unknown
    weddings
    celebrations
    Second Floor
    This portrait photograph of newlyweds Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre and Francis Bowes Sayre in their wedding ensembles was taken on November 25, 1913. Jessie, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, married Sayre on that day in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Photographed on the Second Floor of the White House, in either the East or West Sitting Room, Jessie is wearing a wedding gown made of white silk satin woven at the Pelgram and Meyer silk mill in Paterson, New Jersey. The skirt of the gown was narrow at the ankle but had slashes cut in the back, which were hidden by the court train, in order to make it easier for Jessie to walk down the aisle.
  • Mrs. Bush Accepts Shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day
    Unknown
    presidential gifts
    South Grounds
    Rose Garden
    St. Patrick's Day
    In this photograph, First Lady Barbara Bush accepts a gift on March 17, 1992. The gift, a crystal bowl of shamrocks, was in honor of St. Patrick's Day and took place in the Rose Garden on the South Grounds of the White House.
  • Memorandum for President Nixon Regarding Meeting with Elvis Presley (Full Text)
    Unknown
    documents
    White House Guests
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    This memorandum was written by members of President Richard M. Nixon’s staff to the president on December 21, 1970. The memorandum outlined a request by American musician Elvis Presley to meet with President Nixon that day, including talking points to discuss with Presley.
  • Memorandum for President Nixon Regarding Meeting with Elvis Presley (Page Two of Two)
    Unknown
    documents
    White House Guests
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    This memorandum was written by members of President Richard M. Nixon’s staff to the president on December 21, 1970. The memorandum outlined a request by American musician Elvis Presley to meet with President Nixon that day, including talking points to discuss with Presley. This is page two of two. To see the full text of this memorandum, please see 1136063 in the Digital Library.
  • Memorandum for President Nixon Regarding Meeting with Elvis Presley (Page One of Two)
    Unknown
    documents
    White House Guests
    staff of FLOTUS and POTUS
    This memorandum was written by members of President Richard M. Nixon’s staff to the president on December 21, 1970. The memorandum outlined a request by American musician Elvis Presley to meet with President Nixon that day, including talking points to discuss with Presley. This is page one of two. To see the full text of the memorandum, please see 1136063 in the Digital Library.
  • President Reagan Plays Soccer with Pelé and Steve Moyers
    Unknown
    White House Guests
    sports
    Rose Garden
    South Grounds
    In this photograph, President Ronald Reagan kicks a soccer ball to American soccer star Steve Moyers on October 14, 1982. Soccer icon Pelé, standing at left, was also a part of the group kick around. Pelé and Moyers were invited to the White House that day to put on a soccer demonstration for two local youth soccer teams -- the Green Raiders and the Stompers -- gathered in the Rose Garden. Pelé and Moyers first met with President Reagan in the Oval Office. Following their demonstration, Pelé (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento) spoke to the young players. President Reagan then tossed the ball and the two teams played a game in the Rose Garden.
  • President Reagan Speaks with Brazilian President and Pelé at State Dinner
    Unknown
    White House Guests
    sports
    State Floor
    Blue Room
    Head of State
    State Visit
    State Dinner
    In this photograph, President Ronald Reagan speaks with President José Sarney of Brazil and Brazilian soccer superstar Pelé at a State Dinner held in honor of the Brazilian president's official visit to the White House on September 10, 1986. The trio met in the Blue Room while the State Dinner took place outside, in the Rose Garden.
  • The Bidens Welcome Guests to the 2022 White House Easter Egg Roll
    Unknown
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Easter Egg Roll
    holidays
    South Portico
    This photograph of President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the White House Easter Egg Roll was taken by Tony Powell on April 18, 2022. The 2022 Easter Egg Roll was hosted by President and Dr. Biden, with the first couple welcoming guests from the South Portico. It marked the first Easter Egg Roll held in person on the the South Grounds of the White House since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities at the annual celebration included the traditional Easter egg roll and egg hunt, special guest readers in the reading nook, costumed characters, food, and arts and crafts, among others activities.
  • 2022 White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn
    Unknown
    South Lawn
    South Grounds
    Easter Egg Roll
    holidays
    This photograph of President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was taken by Tony Powell at the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 18, 2022. Joining the first couple on stage at the reading nook is late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who read his book, "Nana Loves You More." The 2022 Easter Egg Roll was hosted by President and Dr. Biden and was the first held in person on the the South Grounds of the White House since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Activities at the annual celebration included the traditional Easter egg roll and egg hunt, special guest readers in the reading nook, costumed characters, food, and arts and crafts, among others activities.
  • Mrs. Nixon in the Cross Hall, 1972 Holiday Season
    Unknown
    State Floor
    Cross Hall
    decorations
    winter holidays
    Christmas
    This photograph of First Lady Pat Nixon was taken on December 11, 1972. Mrs. Nixon is seen standing in the Cross Hall among holiday decorations, including a poinsettia tree, floral designs draped around the chandelier, and red cloth covered columns. The Cross Hall, which is located on the State Floor of the White House, runs the length of the Executive Mansion and offers views of the East, Red, Green, and Blue Rooms.
  • Mrs. Nixon with the 1972 White House Gingerbread House
    Unknown
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    winter holidays
    gingerbread
    decorations
    Christmas
    food & drink
    In this photograph, First Lady Pat Nixon gives a tour of holiday decorations to the White House Press Corps in the State Dining Room. On display nearby is a German A-frame gingerbread house, designed by assistant executive chef Hans Raffert. Raffert created his first A-frame gingerbread house for First Lady Pat Nixon in 1969, where they soon evolved into a beloved holiday tradition.
  • Mrs. Clinton and Chef Mesnier Pose with the 1999 White House Gingerbread House
    unknown
    winter holidays
    staff
    gingerbread
    decorations
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    Residence staff
    Christmas
    food & drink
    This photograph of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier with the White House gingerbread house was taken in December 1999. Chef Mesnier and his team created gingerbread versions of the White House, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and Mount Vernon. The scene also included the Potomac river winding through the display. The theme chosen for 1999 was "Saving America's Treasures," highlighting Mrs. Clinton's program to help preserve important landmarks and historic artifacts.
  • Congressional Christmas Ball, 1979
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    receptions
    State Floor
    East Room
    Congress
    Christmas
    In this photograph, President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter dance in the East Room during the Congressional Christmas Ball on December 11, 1979. For decades, first families have hosted annual balls for members of Congress during the holiday season.
  • Mrs. Bush Leads a Press Preview of the 1991 Christmas Decorations
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    decorations
    State Floor
    Blue Room Christmas Tree
    Blue Room
    Christmas
    This photograph was taken on December 9, 1991 during a press preview hosted by First Lady Barbara Bush of the White House holiday decorations. That year, Mrs. Bush's holiday theme drew inspiration from the a needlepoint creche created by the Saintly Stitchers, a needlepoint group of the St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. For her holiday decorations, over 1,300 needlepoint ornaments were created for the holiday decorations with patterns designed by White House Chief Floral Designer Nancy Clarke. Here, Mrs. Bush points towards ornaments based on the classic storybook characters "Raggedy Ann" and "Raggedy Andy," which she personally stitched for the Blue Room Christmas Tree.
  • President Bush Participates in a Wreath Laying Ceremony
    Unknown
    military
    memorials
    Virginia
    Veterans Day
    Arlington National Cemetery
    commemorations
    In this photograph, President George H. W. Bush participates in a ceremonial wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day 1991. 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.
  • Gingerbread House of Mrs. Clinton's Childhood Home
    Unknown
    winter holidays
    gingerbread
    food & drink
    decorations
    Christmas
    This photograph shows a close-up of the gingerbread house created by White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier and the White House pastry team for the 1995 holiday season. The gingerbread house was modeled after First Lady Hillary Rodham's Clinton's childhood home in Park Ridge, Illinois, and included scenes that paid homage to the poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." This was the first time Mesier employed the technique of removing portions of the wall to insert interior scenes in the White House Gingerbread House.
  • Bûche de Noël
    Unknown
    food & drink
    winter holidays
    This photograph shows a bûche de Noël or Yule log cake made by White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. The traditional and festive holiday cake was a favorite at White House Christmas parties. The cake pictured here consists of a rolled sponge roulade cake covered in dark buttercream and decorated with meringue mushrooms and marzipan details to resemble a tree log adorned with holiday figures including a snowman and Santa Claus.
  • Chef Mesnier Prepares a Bûche de Noël
    Unknown
    staff
    Residence staff
    food & drink
    winter holidays
    Ground Floor
    Kitchen
    In this photograph, White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier prepares a bûche de Noël or Yule log cake in the White House Kitchen. The traditional holiday cake was a favorite at White House Christmas parties. Here, Chef Mesnier applies a layer of coffee buttercream to give the dessert its distinctive tree bark appearance. Mesnier joined the White House Kitchen in 1979 and retired in 2004.