Edith turned it over to the National Trust in 1961 on her death. It has been lovingly cared for. We welcome you tonight. I wanted to tell you about how we started this speaker series. Manager said to me this summer when i first started the job there is a commission on the suffrage and i think we should go to that meeting. It is the womens Suffrage Centennial commission. I said ok. I will go with you. We went down to the library of congress and we sat at a big table. They were about 20 women in the root. A big square table. There were another 20 women on the telephone. Everyone goes around introducing themselves. They are from the alice paul house, this commission and that commission. From the National Portrait gallery. All these places. It comes around to us and introduce myself. Im from the Woodrow Wilson house. Suck and a collectives sigh, and maybe one or two cases of whiplash. There was no oxygen left in the room. They turned to look to us to say, do you know where you are . What a
Perpetuated. What i like about this is you get to not only debunk these things but try to figure out where they started and why people grew so attached to them because that also tells you a little bit more about how people understand the past and how they use it or misuse it. So, remember earlier in the semester we talked about the Jackson Magnolia. Who remembers the story . Andrew jacksons wife died right before he went to office so he planted this tree because it was her favorite tree. Matthew and he brought the seeds from the hermitage in tennessee and do you remember what jonathan told us . He said there isnt any contemporary evidence, Andrew Jackson never mentions planting a tree, theres nothing in newspapers so it seems like this is a story that has these romantic origins and its continued to grow from that ever since. So this is actually first known exterior photograph of the white house taken by a welsh born photographer named john plume jr. In january 1846. So if youre looking
Times, whether you were researching them on the internet or doing research for your papers in this class but there are a number of stories that continue to be circulated and perpetuated. What i like about this is you get to not only debunk these things but try to figure out where they started and why people grew so attached to them ecause that also tells you a little bit more about how people understand the past and how they use it or misuse it. So, remember earlier in the semester we talked about the Jackson Magnolia. I think a number of you went into detail about the Jackson Magnolia. Alex, was it you who wrote about the Jackson Magnolia . You already know this. But think about to when johnson pivska visited the class and we talked about the Jackson Magnolia. Who remembers the story . Andrew jacksons wife died right before he went to office so he planted this tree because it was her favorite tree. Matthew and he brought the seeds from the hermitage in tennessee and do you remember wh
Madison. This was part of the annual president s day symposium. Hello, again. Is the sound good . Ok. Im not going to introduce myself. [laughter] i will just kind of start talking. What i am planning to do today is to talk about james and Dolley Madisons lives before they were james and Dolley Madison. Then consider their partnership and how it worked to both of their great advantage, because of it being such a wonderful partnership. So these are the Gilbert Stuart portraits of james and dolley james was secretary of state. Its actually my favorite portraits of the two of them, i think they capture the sort of sense of personality that i see in them. And they have, i think, in large measure sort of created images that we have of them historically. Dolley in her low cut, empire style cut dress with ringlet. Serious, cerebral and brainy with always a strip of hair coming down in the front and the receding spots on each side. He has that from when he was really young, actually. And of co
Im the president of the historical association. It is my privilege to welcome you to Decatur House as well as the White House Historical association. Tonights program is exciting and we are honored to partner with our good friends at the Richard Nixon foundation. I would like to welcome dr. Jim esther, inhis wife, the front row. [applause] hewitt the president of the Nixon Foundation who you will hear from in a few moments. We have many distinguished guests, many former officials from the nixon and other friends,ations, staff, and we are honored to have you here. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Patricia Nixon becoming the first lady of the united states. Under her leadership, the white as collection added over 600 paintings and furnishing elements to the white house collection. That is the most of any presidency. The significance of this will be discussed in tonights program but it is important to us here at the White House Historical association as a core part of our mission.