"Something of Splendor": Decorative Arts from the White House

Now - May 6, 2012
Special Exhibitions Gallery, 1st Floor

This exhibition, organized in honor of the 50th anniversary of the White House Historical Association, traces the history of the decorative arts in the nation's foremost home. It features some 90 objects -- furniture, ceramics, metals, glass and textiles -- from the White House collection, along with archival prints and photographs of the interiors that reveal life in the president's official residence. Many of these objects were made by the most celebrated craftsmen of their time and some have never been seen outside of the White House. Highlights include a box lined with wallpaper used in the White House prior to its burning in 1814, a gilded Herter Brothers armchair from 1875, a coverlet embroidered by First Lady Grace Coolidge between 1925 and 1927, and a service plate from the 1982 Reagan state china.

At Home in the White House, in which first families offer their memories about living in America's most famous home, runs continuously.

Related publication: $14.95 (forthcoming)

Grand Salon Installation: Paintings from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Permanent
Grand Salon, 2nd Floor

On view are 70 paintings from the 1840s to the 1930s -- landscapes, portraits, and allegorical works -- by 51 American artists, including Edward Mitchell Bannister, Romaine Brooks, Elliott Daingerfield, Daniel Garber, William Morris Hunt, George Inness, Homer Dodge Martin, Albert Pinkham Ryder, Abbott Handerson Thayer, John Henry Twachtman, and Irving R. Wiles. The room is installed salon style, with paintings hung one-atop-another and side by side.

Visitor Guide featuring short biographies of the artists: $16.95

Octagon Room

Permanent
2nd Floor, South

The Octagon Room is furnished with paintings from SAAM's collection, including impressionism and the Gilded Age period.