
The White House's art collection, sometimes also called the White House Collection or Pride of the American Nation,[1] has grown over time from donations from descendants of the Founding Fathers to commissions by established artists.[2] It comprises paintings, sculptures, and other art forms.[3] At times, the collection grows from a president's specific request, such as when Ronald Reagan began collecting the work of naval artist Tom Freeman in 1986, a tradition that continued through the Obama years.[4]
History
The White House's Art collection was established by an Act of Congress in 1961 and grew extensively during the Kennedy Administration.[5] It now includes more than 65,000 objects if individual items are catalogued.[6] As of 2021, there are more than 500 pieces on view under the care of the White House Curator and the White House Historical Association,[7] and these are often complemented by those on loan from museums.[8][6][9]
Gallery
Official presidential and spousal portraits
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Portrait of Martha Washington by Eliphalet Frazer Andrews, 1878
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Portrait of John Adams by John Trumbull, c. 1792−1793
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Portrait of Abigail Adams by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1810-1815
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Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800
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Portrait of James Madison by John Vanderlyn, 1816
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Portrait of Dolley Madison by Gilbert Stuart, 1804
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Portrait of James Monroe by Samuel F. B. Morse, 1819
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Portrait of John Quincy Adams by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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Portrait of Louisa Adams by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1821−1826
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Portrait of Andrew Jackson by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, c. 1835
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Portrait of Martin Van Buren by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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Portrait of William Henry Harrison by James Reid Lambdin, 1835
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Portrait of Anna Harrison by Unknown, c. 1820
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Portrait of John Tyler by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1864
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Portrait of Julia Tyler by Francesco Anelli, c. 1846−1848
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Portrait of James Knox Polk by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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Portrait of Sarah Polk by George Dury, 1883
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Portrait of Zachary Taylor by Joseph H. Bush, 1848
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Portrait of Millard Fillmore by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1857
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Portrait of Franklin Pierce by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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Portrait of James Buchanan by John Henry Brown, 1851
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Portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln by Katherine Helm, 1925
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Portrait of Andrew Johnson by Eliphalet Frazer Andrews, 1880
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Portrait of Ulysses S. Grant by Henry Ulke, 1875
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Portrait of Rutherford B. Hayes by Daniel Huntington, 1884
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Portrait of Lucy Webb Hayes by Daniel Huntington, 1881
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Portrait of James A. Garfield by Calvin Curtis, 1881
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Portrait of Chester A. Arthur by Daniel Huntington, 1885
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Portrait of Grover Cleveland by Jonathan Eastman Johnson, 1891
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Portrait of Frances Folsom Cleveland by Anders Zorn, 1899
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Portrait of Benjamin Harrison by Jonathan Eastman Johnson, 1895
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Portrait of Caroline Harrison by Daniel Huntington, 1894
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Portrait of William McKinley by Harriet Anderson Stubbs Murphy, 1902
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Portrait of Ida McKinley by Emily Drayton Taylor, 1899
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Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent, 1902
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Portrait of Edith Roosevelt by Théobald Chartran, 1902
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Portrait of William Howard Taft by Anders Zorn, 1911
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Portrait of Helen Taft by Bror Kronstrand, 1910
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Portrait of Woodrow Wilson by Frank Graham Cootes, 1936
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Portrait of Edith Wilson by Adolfo Müller-Ury, 1916
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Portrait of Warren G. Harding by Edmund Hodgson Smart, 1923
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Portrait of Florence Kling Harding by Philip de László, 1921
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Portrait of Calvin Coolidge by Charles S. Hopkinson, 1932
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Portrait of Grace Goodhue Coolidge by Howard Chandler Christy, 1924
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Portrait of Herbert Hoover by Elmer Wesley Greene, 1956
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Portrait of Lou Henry Hoover by Richard Marsden Brown, 1950
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Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt by Frank O. Salisbury, 1947
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Portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt by Douglas Chandor, 1949
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Portrait of Harry S. Truman by Martha Greta Kempton, 1947
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Portrait of Elizabeth Truman by Martha Greta Kempton, 1967
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Portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower by James Anthony Wills, 1967
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Portrait of Mamie Doud Eisenhower by Thomas Edgar Stephens, 1959
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Portrait of John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, 1970
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Portrait of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, 1970
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Portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson by Elizabeth Shoumatoff, 1968
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Portrait of Lady Bird Johnson by Elizabeth Shoumatoff, 1968
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Portrait of Richard Nixon by James Anthony Wills, 1984
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Portrait of Pat Nixon by Henriette Wyeth, 1978
Additional portraits
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Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Wilson, 1759
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General Washington, Commander of the Continental Army by Charles Willson Peale, 1776
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Benjamin Franklin by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, 1777
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Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan by Gainsborough Dupont, c. 1785
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Thomas Jefferson by John Trumbull, 1788
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James Hoban by John Christian Rauschner, c. 1800
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Anna Payne Cutts by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1804
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Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe by Charles Willson Peale, c. 1804
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George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, c. 1805
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Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, c. 1805
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Andrew Jackson by John Wesley Jarvis, c. 1817
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Lucy Payne Washington Todd by Matthew Harris Jouett, c. 1817-1820
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Thomas Jefferson by Matthew Harris Jouett, c. 1817-1827
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Colonel William Drayton by Samuel Finley Breese Morse, 1818
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John Quincy Adams by Gilbert Stuart, 1818
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Monchousia (White Plume), Kansa by Charles Bird King, c. 1822
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Shaumonekusse (Prairie Wolf), Oto by Charles Bird King, c. 1822
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Hayne Hudjihini (Eagle of Delight), Oto by Charles Bird King, c. 1822
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Petalesharro (Generous Chief), Pawnee by Charles Bird King, c. 1822
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Sharitahrish (Wicked Chief), Pawnee by Charles Bird King, c. 1822
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George Washington by Rembrandt Peale, c. 1823
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John Marshall by John Wesley Jarvis, 1825
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John James Audubon by John Syme, 1826
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Martin Van Buren by Francis Alexander, c. 1830-1840
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Emily Donelson by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, 1830
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Fanny Kemble by Thomas Sully, 1834
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Andrew Jackson by Miner Kilbourne Kellogg, c. 1840
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John Tyler by James Reid Lambdin, 1841
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Portrait of Angelica Singleton Van Buren by Henry Inman, 1842
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Daniel Webster by George Peter Alexander Healy, mid 19th-century
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George Washington by Ernst Fischer, c. 1850-1852
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James Buchanan by John Henry Brown, 1851
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Abraham Lincoln by William F. Cogswell, 1869
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Ulysses S. Grant by Unknown, late 19th-century
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Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison by Adolphe Yvon, c. 1880
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Ulysses S. Grant by Thomas Le Clear, c. 1881
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Thomas Jefferson by Eliphalet Frazer Andrews, 1884
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The Blue Vase by Robert Lewis Reid, c. 1890-1910
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Woman Standing With an Oar by Edmund Charles Tarbell, 1891
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Ruth (Portrait of Ruth Harding) by Thomas Eakins, 1903
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Young Mother and Two Children by Mary Cassatt, 1908
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Rough Rider by Tadeusz Styka, c. 1909
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Theodore Roosevelt by Fülöp László, 1910
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Woodrow Wilson by Stephen Seymour Thomas, 1913
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Abraham Lincoln by George Henry Story, c. 1915
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Gypsy Girl with Flowers by Robert Henri, 1915
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Woodrow Wilson by William Orpen, 1919
Landscape paintings
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Fairmount Waterworks - Philadelphia by Nicolino Calyo, c. 1834
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Niagara Falls From the Canadian Side by Victor de Grailly, c. 1845
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Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay by Victor de Grailly, c. 1845
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The Indian's Vespers by A. B. Durand, 1847
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Rutland Falls, Vermont by Frederic Edwin Church, 1848
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West Point Near Garrisons by Robert Havell, Jr., 1850
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Capitol, Washington by Unknown, c. 1850-1860
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View of Lake George by Andrew Andrews, c. 1850−1860
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Niagara Falls by John Frederick Kensett, c. 1852−1854
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Going to Church by George Henry Durrie, 1853
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Jones Inn, Winter by George Henry Durrie, 1853
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Washington's Tomb at Mount Vernon by William Matthew Prior, c. 1853
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Pastoral Landscape by Alvan Fisher, 1854
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A Mountain Glimpse by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1854
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View of the City of Washington from the Virginia Shore by William MacLeod, 1856
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Lake Among the Hills (Lake Mohonk) by William Hart, 1858
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Farmyard in Winter by George Henry Durrie, 1858
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Independence Hall in Philadelphia by Ferdinand Richardt, c. 1858-1863
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Railway Station by Lefevre Cranstone, 1860
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Hudson River Scene by Shepard Alonzo Mount, 1861
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Washington, D.C. by Albert Bierstadt, c. 1863
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The Rainbow in the Berkshire Hills by George Inness, 1869
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Cannonading on the Potomac by Alfred W. Thompson, c. 1869
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Deer by a Lake by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1870
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Rocky Mountain Landscape by Albert Bierstadt, 1870
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Nocturne by James Abbott McNeill Whistler, c. 1870−1877
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Crossing the River Platte by Worthington Whittredge, c. 1871
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A Day at the Seashore by William Hahn, c. 1872-1878
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Old Ferryboat at McCall's Ferry by Herman Herzog, c. 1875-1880
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Autumn Landscape on the Hudson River by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1876
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In the White Mountains, New Hampshire by William Louis Sonntag, 1876
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Castle Rock, Nahant, Massachusetts by Alfred Thompson Bricher, 1877
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Storm Clouds by Albert Bierstadt, c. 1880
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Old Faithful by Albert Bierstadt, c. 1881
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The Mellow Autumn Time by Jasper Francis Cropsey, c. 1884-1897
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Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner, c. 1885
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Hameau à Payennet près de Gardanne (Hamlet at Payennet, near Gardanne) by Paul Cézanne, c. 1886-1890[a]
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New York Harbor and Battery by Andrew Melrose, c. 1887
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Nevada Falls, Yosemite by Thomas Hill, 1889
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Vernal Falls, Yosemite by Thomas Hill, 1889
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Sitka Bay, Alaska by Theodore J. Richardson, 1889
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Alaskan Landscape by Theodore J. Richardson, 1889
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Landscape with Houses by Unknown, c. 1890
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Florida Sunrise by Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1890-1895
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Woodland Pool by George Inness, 1891
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The Farm Landing by Edward Mitchell Bannister, 1892
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The Three Tetons by Thomas Moran, 1895
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Yosemite, Bridal Veil Falls by Thomas Hill, 1895
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Under the Palisades, in October by Jasper Francis Cropsey, 1895
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View of Pennsylvania Avenue From the Treasury Building Looking Toward the Capitol by Walter Paris, 1895
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Surf at Prout's Neck by Winslow Homer, c. 1895
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Revere Beach by Maurice Prendergast, c. 1896-1897
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A Stroll by the Capitol by Walter Paris, 1897
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Matinée sur la Seine, le beau temps (Morning on the Seine, good weather) by Claude Monet, 1897
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A Glimpse of Lake Champlain by Alexander Helwig Wyant, late 19th century
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Wild Flowers by E. Folsom, late 19th century - early 20th century
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Sunny Hills, California by Thaddeus Welch, late 19th century - early 20th century
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Thatcher's Island off Rockport, Massachusetts by Worthington Whittredge, early 20th century
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Fording the Horse Herd by Charles Marion Russell, 1900
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Shinnecock Hills, Long Island by William Merritt Chase, 1900
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Seascape by Childe Hassam, 1900
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Captain Bickford's Float by John Henry Twachtman, 1900
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Boy Resting in the Woods by Unknown, c. 1900
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Porch of the Maidens at the Erechtheum by Stanford White, c. 1900
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Street Scene in Winter (Snowstorm, New York) by Childe Hassam, 1901
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Colonial Cottage, Cos Cob by Childe Hassam, 1902
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The Capitol at Night by Colin Campbell Cooper, 1902
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The Red Mill, by Ernest Lawson by Ernest Lawson, c. 1904
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Hall's Quarry by Carroll Sargent Tyson, Jr., 1906
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Barn in Winter by N.C. Wyeth, c. 1907
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Rough Sea at Bailey's Island, Maine by Frederick Judd Waugh, 1909
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Cliffs of Green River, Wyoming by Thomas Moran, c. 1909-1910
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Golden Gate, Lands End by Theodore Wores, c. 1911-1912
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Lands End Looking Towards the Golden Gate by Theodore Wores, c. 1911-1912
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Point Lobos, Monterey, California by Thomas Moran, 1912
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Princeton Landscape by Ellen Axson Wilson, c. 1913
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Telegraph Hill - San Francisco by Childe Hassam, 1914
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May Breezes by Robert Spencer, 1914
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Gloucester Dock by Henry Hobart Nichols, 1915
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Clove Pond by William James Glackens, c. 1916
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Pavilion at Gloucester by William James Glackens, 1919
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Three Children by George Bellows, 1919
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Brooklyn Bridge, Winter by Guy C. Wiggins, c. 1920-1930
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East River, New York by Guy C. Wiggins, c. 1920-1930
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Carl Schurz Park by William James Glackens, c. 1922
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Spring in the Valley by Willard Metcalf, c. 1924
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September Evening, Mount McKinley, Alaska by Sydney Laurence, 1925
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Kimberly Crest, Redlands, California by Colin Campbell Cooper, c. 1929
Marine paintings
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The First Naval Action in the War of 1812 by William John Huggins, 1816
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Three-Masted British Barque by Henry Moses, c. 1820-1840
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Mouth of the Delaware by Thomas Birch, 1828
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Three-Master American Barque by William James Bennett, c. 1830-1840
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View of the Harbor of Hong Kong by Unknown, c. 1847-1856
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View of the Harbor at Canton by Unknown, c. 1847-1856
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Laying of the Atlantic Cable by Unknown, c. 1850
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View of Hong Kong by Unknown, c. 1853
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View of Macao by Unknown, c. 1853
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Boston Harbor by Fitz Hugh Lane, 1854
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Sailing off the Coast by Martin Johnson Heade, 1869
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Three-Masted American Barque Samar by Unknown, 1875-1890
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Welcome by Carl Calusd, c. 1900-1909
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The Presidential Yacht Mayflower by Alfred Addy, c. 1902-1929
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Boston Harbor by Maurice Prendergast, c. 1907-1910
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U.S.S. Galena by Antonio Jacobsen, 1909
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U.S.S. Constitution by Gordon Grant, 1926
Still life paintings
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Fruit in a Chinese Export Basket by James Peale, 1822
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Grapes and Apples by James Peale, c. 1825-1831
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Still Life With Fruit by Severin Roesen, 1850
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Still Life With Fruit, Goblet, and Canary (Nature's Bounty) by Severin Roesen, 1851
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Floral Still Life with Nest of Eggs by Severin Roesen, c. 1851−1852
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Still Life with Fruit by Rubens Peale, c. 1862
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The Cincinnati Enquirer by William Michael Harnett, 1888
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Red Roses and Green Leaves by Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1903
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Bouquet with Ferns by William James Glackens, c. 1920-1925
Additional paintings
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To the Genius of Franklin by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1778
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George Washington Triumphantly Entering Boston by Unknown, c. 1834
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Emigrant Scene by William Henry Powell, 1837
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A Hartford Family by Unknown, c. 1840-1850
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Lighter Relieving the Steamboat Aground by George Caleb Bingham, 1847
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George Washington Accepts the Surrender of British General Cornwallis by Jean Zuber et Cie, c. 1850
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Boys Crabbing by William Ranney, 1855
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Waiting for the Hour by William Tolman Carlton, 1863
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The Republican Court in the Days of Lincoln by Peter Frederick Rothermel, c. 1867
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The Peacemakers by George P.A. Healy, 1868
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Liberty by Constantino Brumidi, 1869
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Union by Constantino Brumidi, 1869
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The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, July 4, 1776 by Charles Édouard Armand-Dumaresq, c. 1873
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Hands Up! -- The Capture of Finnigan by Frederic Remington, 1888
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Flowering Dogwood by Caroline Harrison, c. 1889-1892
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Butterfly by Albert Bierstadt, January 20, 1893
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Signing of the Peace Protocol Between Spain and the United States, August 12, 1898 by Théobald Chartran, 1899
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The Mosquito Net by John Singer Sargent, 1912
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The Clock Room, Quai d'Orsay by Fülöp László, 1928
Sculptures
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Giuliano de' Medici by Unknown, c. 1524-1534
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Lorenzo de' Medici by Unknown, c. 1524-1534
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Benjamin Franklin by Giovan Battista Nini, 1777
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George Washington by Unknown, c. 1790
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George Washington by Giuseppe Ceracchi, c. 1790-1794
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Joel Barlow by Jean Antoine Houdon, c. 1804
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Benjamin Franklin by the National Porcelain Factory of Sèvres, c. 1810
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Amerigo Vespucci by Giuseppe Ceracchi, c. 1815
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Christopher Columbus by Giuseppe Ceracchi, c. 1815
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George Washington by Enoch Wood, 1818
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Benjamin Franklin by Unknown, c. 1820
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George Washington by Unknown, c. 1830-1850
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Martin Van Buren by Hiram Powers, 1840
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Daniel Webster by Unknown, Mid 19th-century
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Henry Clay by Joel T. Hart, c. 1850-1860
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Patrick Henry by Miskey Warner, c. 1860
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John Bright by John Warrington Wood, 1864
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The Buffalo Hunt by Theodore Baur, c. 1882-1886
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Female with Cupid by Unknown, c. 1870
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Diane De Gabies by Unknown, c. 1870
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Classical Male and Female by Unknown, c. 1870
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Classical Male Figure by Unknown, c. 1870
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Angler by Sylvain Kinsburger, Late 19th-century
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Abraham Lincoln by Charles Henry Niehaus, Late 19th-century
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Benjamin Harrison by Charles Henry Niehaus, Late 19th-century
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Neighboring Pews by John Rogers, 1883
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Nathan Hale by Frederick William MacMonnies, c. 1890
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The Bronco Buster by Frederic Remington, c. 1903
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Horatio Nelson by Unknown, 1905
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George Washington by the National Porcelain Factory of Sèvres, 1905
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Benjamin Franklin by the National Porcelain Factory of Sèvres, 1905
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Abraham Lincoln by Gutzon Borglum, 1908
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Descending Night by Adolph Alexander Weinman, c. 1915-1923
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Rising Day by Adolph Alexander Weinman, c. 1915-1923
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Our Vanishing Wildlife by Alexander Pope Jr., c. 1915-1924
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Appeal to the Great Spirit by Cyrus E. Dallin, c. 1916
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Coming Through the Rye by Frederic Remington, 1918
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Paolo Romano (Jennewein) by Carl Paul Jennewein, 1918
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Women and Cherubs by the National Porcelain Factory of Sèvres, 1920
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Fortunata by Andrew O'Connor, c. 1923
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George Washington by Gyula Julius Bezeredi, 1923
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Louis Kossuth by Gyula Julius Bezeredi, 1923
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Gardener by Sylvia Shaw Judson, 1929
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Timmy (Tiny Tim) by Laura Gardin Fraser, 1929
See also
- Committee for the Preservation of the White House
- United States Capitol art
- White House Acquisition Trust
References
- Notes
- Sources
- ^ "Art in the White House". clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Art for the President's House: An Historical Perspective (Early - Middle 1800's)". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Diversity in White House Art". WHHA (en-US). Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Reagan to Obama: Naval Art in the White House". U.S. Naval Institute. 1 February 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Taubman, Howard (20 July 1967). "Art in the White House; Quality Portraits of the First Ladies And Americana Are Sought for Mansion (Published 1967)". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ a b Wecker, Menachem (5 February 2018). "Beyond the Golden Toilet: How Does Art End Up in the White House, and What Does It Tell Us About Our Leaders?". Artnet News. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Kloss, William; Bolger, Doreen; Curry, David Park; Monkman, Betty; Wilmerding, John (1992). Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride. White House Historical Association. ISBN 978-0-8109-3965-3. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ Bednarz, Christine (31 October 2012). "When President Becomes Curator: Art in the White House". MutualArt. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Art in the White House". White House Historical Association. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "LOESER WILL CALLS HARVARD UNSIGHTLY; Art Critic, Writing in 1924, Regretted New Buildings in "Yard" He Loved. MAKES IT RESIDUARY HEIR Bequest of $500,000, Contingent on Trust Fund to Wife and Daughter, Is Not for Construction. Harvard Is Residuary Legatee. Sister Gets Williams Estate". The New York Times. 7 April 1928. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "WHITE HOUSE HANGS 2 CEZANNE PAINTINGS". The New York Times. 4 May 1961. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
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