White House: The Interiors Part 2 | A Visit to the White House: Full Tour and History of Interiors
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Documentary (audio and visual sequences both together and separate) © William Spotts
All rights reserved.
Thanks to the White House Historical Association for letting me use their free download photos for this documentary! Please check out their website here: whitehousehistory.org
They are a wonderful resource and everyone should visit their website and youtube channel. Thanks again!
Hello again and hail to the chief!
Here it is, Part II of our finest production yet: A Visit to the White House,
A Full Tour of the White House a History of the Interiors.
Created, Directed, and Hosted by William Spotts
Part 1 came out September 1, 2023
Part 2 came out October 1, 2023
Part 3 came out November 2, 2023
Bonus Program came out December 20, 2023
In this three-part masterpiece, we unveil the history of the interiors of the White House, exploring turbulent changes and abysmal redecorations. By examining various administrations' decorating ideas and architectural schemes, you'll learn about history, geography, politics, the personalities of our previous presidents, and the fine arts. Join us as we stroll through the most famous house in the world, the White House. You'll also learn about clockmaking, woodworking, sculpture, paintings, architecture, gilt-bronze, cabinetmaking, and sp much more. This review is as much a survey of White House history as it is a masterclass in the fine arts and decorating through the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. Rooms covered include the Entrance Hall, Cross Hall, East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, State Dining Room, and Family Dining Room.
Copyright and Fair Use Notice:
Please pause your video and read this whole message:
Every image used in this video is either in the public domain, used under Fair Use law in the United States due to the educational and commentarial nature of this presentation, or used with permission from the owners and rights holders. To be clear, I do not own or claim the rights to any of the images used in this presentation; I am just using them for the purposes of education and commentary, as is protected by federal law. Any owner of any media featured here can always contact this channel through the "About" page and I will happily address any concerns or requests related to rights and use.
In addition, any image here that is property of the White House Historical Association has been and is being used with express permission from them. As stated previously, just to make it clear, the purposes of these images are to aid in both commentary and education, both of which are protected uses under Fair Use law in the United States. All image credits to the White House Historical Association will henceforth appear as "WHHA".
Similarly, any image here that is the property of ClickAmericana (most of the restored photos from the Roosevelt Redecoration) were and are being used with express and unconditional permission from them. All credits to ClickAmericana will henceforth appear as "CA".
All photos from the Kennedy years are either jointly or individually owned by the WHHA and JFK Presidential Library.
Credit for the photo of the Salon de Musique at Compiègne goes to P.poschadel
Image source: commons.wikime...
License: commons.wikime...
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You my friend, are a funny, funny guy sometimes!!! 😊 Seriously tho, another great vid and I can't wait for part three. Thanks for your hard work.
Thanks again!
" Pseudo-artistic idiots"...."dreadful architect"..... Pei and Le Corbusier.....really? Never have I heard such an accurate description. Perfect.
Thanks for catching on!
Thank you ❤
Thank YOU! Please be sure to subscribe!
Such a gift for us White House and presidential nerds to have these awesome in-, depth videos. Thank you so much for your work and your point of view!
Thank you for watching!
Great resolution photos, scholarly research, and thorough presentation. Thank you, and looking forward to Part III!
Thanks so much for the compliments! Join us for the livestream after Part III!
Superb scholarship !! Obviously very well researched and organized.
Impressive......
Thanks a million!
Great video great historical accuracy and sound clear speaking presentation
Thank you kindly!
Wonderful yet again! Congratulations on 50K!
Thank you very much!
A pleausure to see. Thank you!
You’re most welcome. Join us for the live chat after the premiere of Part III!
Awesome!!! Loved it!!
Thanks so much!
Your videos are marvelous!!
Thank you very much! Do join us for the Premiere of PART III and accompanying livestream! NOVEMBER 2 at 6:00pm PST.
Don’t know how you did it, but you held my attention for more than 8 minutes! Very well done! Thank you
Thanks for the high praise! Make sure to join us for the livestream following the premiere of Part III!
So many thoughts after watching part 2. (I’m now counting down the days until Part 3!) You were 100% correct in saying that TR (probably his wife Edith) returned the WH to tasteful decor and furnishings. From approximately the end of Jackson’s reign (I agree with those who thought that he had kingly pretensions) which coincided with the beginning of the Victorian era in England it’s like good taste and true elegance went into hiding. Your photos of the East, Green and Blue Rooms show how horrible the styles were during that period of time. The Roosevelt renovations were much needed in so many ways.
Thank you for the background on “Lemonade” Lucy Hayes. What a fascinating lady! Women like her should be known and celebrated in US History. If she’d been a man I don’t doubt that she would’ve been much better known.
Your comment about the fabric of the round seat looking like a leopard with melanin issues totally broke me up! I love people with a wicked sense of humor!
Finally, what happens to all of the lighting fixtures and furniture that is switched out for something new? Do they go to the Smithsonian American History Museum, some other museum or a storage facility?
Thanks so much for the detailed comment! Those furnishings were mostly either auctioned off or thrown out.
Totally enjoyed this, must watch again and again to get all info. Blue room Cut corners haha.
Glad you enjoyed it! That cutting corners joke was one of my favorites.
It cracks me up that just because you are the President,it makes you a designer 🌿
That is an interesting irony I had not thought about. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
GroverCleveland is the only President to have been married in the White House while in office. Woodrow Wilson's second wedding was held at Mrs. Galt's house.
So I WAS right! Thanks!
@@PresidentialHP I think you were sort of right... Grover Cleveland was the only president whose marriage ceremony took place in the White House. But he wasn't the only president to get married while in office. John Tyler & Woodrow Wilson were also married while they were serving as president but their marriage ceremonies didn't take place in the White House.
And Frances Folsom Cleveland wasn't Cleveland's niece. Cleveland had first met Folsom when she was an infant. He was a friend of Frances's father, Oscar Folsom
1:08:11 okay that cut corners joke got me to lol
Thanks! I'm glad someone caught on.
@@PresidentialHP I’m going to finish part 3 tonight and go back and like them all. It’s been a great journey before bed, loosing sleep from it!
I hope I'm not making you sleep deprived ... you'd be the first one who isn't actively put to sleep by my voice (haha)!@@Joemondaking
Other First Lady portraits formerly in the Green Room: Julia Gardiner Tyler, the second Mrs. Tyler, (at 35:39 but replaced at 42:19) and Sarah Childress Polk (behind the chandelier at 32:37, absent at 35:25, and re-appearing at 38:01). Also note the Zachary Taylor portrait (above the heavy mirrored piece) that appears at 42:44 that wasn't there at 32:22. Essentially, the house is always in flux so these photos and stereo cards truly capture a moment in time.
You're doling out more presidential history than I am!
❤❤❤ you are brilliant!
Thanks very much. Do join us for the premiere of Part III this evening at 6:00 PST and adjoining LIVESTREAM at 7:30 PST! See you there!
Washington is wearing a LOT of blush in that portrait.
Washington didn't wear wigs and was generally against that stuff, so I don't think so.
I appreciate Washington's boundaries on physical contact.
Certainly would have fit in during the pandemic!
During the Nixon Administration, Edward Vason Jones was the designer of the Red, Blue, and Green rooms. He also created the Diplomatic Reception Rooms in the Department of State.
That is true.
The flavor of “design” went from sleek elegance of the 18th century to gaudy and heavily upholstered in the mid to late 19th century. That design “ flavor” was prevalent through everything. Women’s clothing, carriages house, designs. Everything. Fashion, as an example, was affected by the economy. You notice the waistline went up or down, depending on whether the economy was good or bad.
Thanks for your comment! I would note one thing though: The "sleek elegance" you refer to was not dominant during the eighteenth century, as decor, among other things, was political. Those who identified with the monarchist establishment would have gone with a continuing tradition of Baroque/Rococo/Rocaille highly-ornamented compositions while those who had reformist or republican sympathies would hire people like Robert Adam.
There appears to be a setting of Chinese Export plates in the Green Fitzhugh pattern in the secretary behind First Lady Pat Nixon 1:04:11. I suppose it's fitting that the Green Fitzhugh plates are displayed in the Green Room.
You're doling out more presidential history than I am!
Martin van Buren had been a widower for about 20 years before he came into the White House. While president, he gained a daughter-in-law, Angelica Singleton van Buren, who then became White House hostess. Her portrait can be seen at 1:02:25.
You're doling out more presidential history than I am!
I read somewhere that Willie Lincoln died upstairs in the famous Lincoln bed. He was laid out in the green room, holding a bouquet of roses. 🌹 Mary Todd could not face death.
You are correct. I misspoke in saying he actually expired in the Green Room. Thanks for the comment!
Sounds like each president was given cart blanche to spend great amounts of money to suit themselves; understanding personal preference leading to some change, but this seems extreme for our republic. Keeping our history doesn’t always mean throwing money at it.
"Keeping our history doesn’t always mean throwing money at it." - Very true.
Diseased leopard! Oh, that is really rich!
This series is very informative, and is taking a deep dive into the history of the White House. However, you are an extremely opinionated person. Saying that I. M. Pei and other architects are "idiots", and alluding that Jackie Kennedy had "no taste", in my opinion, lol, is a bit over the top.
Otherwise an excellent 90 minutes...
Well I. M. Pei, Le Corbusier, and others used their work to disturb the surrounding area, not add to it. The Modernist vernacular produces "buildings" whose designs are completely antithetical to long-established principles of beauty, taste, and humility. Their works are a form of vandalism and I can't wait till they're all torn down in favor of traditional architecture.
@@PresidentialHP what is "traditional"?...is that like the Catholic Church telling Galileo to layoff scientific discovery?
Neoclassical, Baroque, Gothic, Italianate, Village Style, Beaux-Arts, Napoleon III, Federal Style, the list goes on and on.@@JohnSmith-se9yl
The Roosevelts were a very wealthy , cultured , traveling family . Our White House needed regal gravitas !
Quite right, my friend. Thanks for watching!
I couldn’t find part 1 ?
Go to the Channel page.@@lynnbeck6877
The Grant photo is from Glena Illinois most likely or the painter is . The have a great number of Grant painting there . I wish I could remember the name of the place where they keep them . But look it up and you will have another project .
When I was there in 1992, the fabric on the furniture in the blue room was a light powder blue. In 1993-94 Hillary Clinton was doing an interview of the house and everything was the deep dark blue you see here. Clinton said during the tour they dyed the fabric to the current color it is now. I remember in 92 a secret service agent saying the long couch stayed in the garage for years until the Kennedys moved in and started the interior restoration work.
The only Bellangé piece that stayed in the White House was the pier table.
Aren't a couple of chairs still there.
@@johnryskamp2943 Some replicas were made, I don't know the count but they did find originals.
There are now.@@johnryskamp2943
At 1:08:55 (in the Blue Room), we see a glimpse of First Lady Elizabeth Kortright Monroe in the portrait at left.
You're doling out more presidential history than I am!
The flavor of “design” went from seek elephants at the 18th century to gaudy and heavily upholstered in the mid to late 19th century. That design “ flavor” was prevalent through everything. Women’s clothing, carriages house, designs. Everything. Fashion, as an example was affected by the economy. You notice the waistline went up ir down, depending on whether the economy was good or bad.
What does a sleek elephant look like?
Just kidding, I know it was a typo.
Many of the First Ladies in the second half of the nineteenth century filled the White House with plants and flowers from the huge conservatories that were connected to the mansion. They were a favorite retreat for Lucy Hayes. The smell of roses and orange blossom was a lot more favorable to the smells coming off the Potomac River at the time.
That is true! Have you subscribed?
@@PresidentialHPabsolutely. I enjoy all your videos. I’ve been a White House history buff since I was a child. It is such a shame that the renovations during the Truman years were rushed so much that care wasn’t given to save more of the unique plaster work and moldings. It is true though that the choice of furnishings from B Altman were NOT popular with Harry Truman. He wanted historical period antiques to be provided but Congress refused to provide adequate funds.
1:05:04, that is actually a really funny joke!
Thanks so much! I waited for months to try that out on the public and it seems to have flown over most people's heads. Thanks for catching it! Please subscribe and share with your friends.
A portrait of First Lady Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (Mrs. John Quincy Adams) is seen at 1:04:47 (in the left pane) and at 1:05:42 (in the right pane) with the portrait of Martha Washington visible through the doorway to the East Room. Unfortunately for First Lady Adams (and her husband at far left), they are grouped with the "poor excuses for art" at 1:08:17.
You're doling out more presidential history than I am!
Apparently Benjamin Franklin has once again lost his place of prominence in the Green Room. A WHHA video of the Green Room shows a portrait of First Lady Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt (the second Mrs. Theodore) now hanging above the mantle. These diplomatic rooms are a case of rotating art galleries!
You're doling out more presidential history than I am!
I read somewhere is was taken down for conservation
Lincoln's son was embalmed and viewed in the green room.
I did mention the fact that he died in the Green Room.
Died in the Green Room? Doubt it. Tho you might mention that Alice Roosevelt had her appendix out in what is now the president's dining room next to the State dining room, although I think that room is now used for storage. Bizarre
Willie Lincoln did NOT die in the Green Room; he died in the Prince of Wales room on the second floor which overlooked the north lawn. Willie was embalmed in the Green Room.
I know, it was a small speaking error.
Very interesting that the US president's designers are inspired by stiles of European monarchies the Americans were appalled of so much.
Well, the whole of "classic design" is characterized by centuries of mammoth monarchical projects such as palaces and castles. It's no wonder they took a cue from the best!
It strikes me that up until the 20th century contemporary art, even trending design was regularly added to the decor of the White House. Although we may look back on all these things as antiques - e.g. Louis Comfort Tiffany, particularly in the 19th century the White House decor reflected the artistic signs of the time. The Obama's added Contemporary art, in making the White House collection more inclusive and in all of their au courant official portraiture, which has been a superb survey of the best of current contemporary American artists. Otherwise, the furnishings in particular seems to stop at the design point of Duncan Phyfe. I'd would love to see a Wendell Castle bench in the East room or a chandelier that uses new lighting technologies like OLED. If the White House takes its cue from an English country house, then if it can be done at Chatsworth, it can be done on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Thanks for the comment! I enjoy historically correct interiors, so I'd like full Neoclassical or Empire Style. Do join us for the premiere of the Bonus Program in the coming weeks!
I don't know how to reconcile ol' Teddy's collection of pets (and offspring) with his grand classical vision of the furnishings for the White House. Are you sure he didn't want to keep the East Room clear of clutter so his menagerie - both human and animal - could run loose?
Thanks for the comment! He did not keep the East Room open for his children and their pets. The rare times pets were brought inside were not viewed well by Roosevelt, such as when the children brought their pony Algonquin to the second floor via the elevator.
Iris Apfel helped the Kenndys in their design choices. As of October of 23 she is still living.
Yes! She is currently 102!
The sneer is so strong. It’s surprising you even kept up the research as long as you did.
Thanks!
The painting in the GR you criticize, is by Sargent.
The Mosquito Net is by Sargent, yes.
What did you call that Japanese table? It sounded like 'chebai bella'. err.... did you say that?
Chigai-dana. Thanks for watching!
Saloon or salon?
It's officially "saloon".
leopard print on a diseased leopard. as i said, there's room for opinion here
There certainly is! What's yours?
Again, beautifully done. Duncan Phyfe was not a style used or favoured by the earliest presidents. They preferred French or locally made pieces. The Green Room featured French or French inspired furniture until 1881. Its "colonial" or "Federal" style dates only to 1925 with purchased or copied furniture with no White House provenance. The introduction of Duncan Phyfe to the Green Room occurred only in 1971 with the advent of curator Clement Conger and designer Edward Vason Jones, who hoped to leave a permanent Nixon mark on the White House and effectively erase the Kennedy taste. Most of this is still in place over 50 years later. The design choices for many of the State or public rooms is on auto-pilot every 10 years rather than generating any real scholarly studies or genuine historic redesign approaches.
Thanks for the comment! Yes, the Duncan Phyfe collection is somewhat artificial in that it was created centuries after any of his works were actually made and sold.
LEAVE OUR WHITE HOUSE ALONE SAVE OUR TAX DOLLARS ALONE
Well most presidents nowadays only spend about $100,000 of taxpayer money on redecorations each year. The rest comes from private donations and charities.
everything you promised
Thanks!
In the green room, I think you are being a bit unfair to President Truman. First Congress detested Truman and did not allocate enough money for the restoration of the rooms so the majority of the old white house was dumped. Second B. Altman at the time had a top notch reputation. This was not buying items from Walmart. They had their own decorators etc. The notion of refitting the WH with legitimate US period antiques as well as items historical to the WH was not possible due to the funding, which was so tight the major contractor actually used $100k of his own money. Even so, Bess Truman (and I might add Mamie Eisenhouwer) was no Jacqueline Kennedy (even on a bad day) when it came to such matters either.
Stupid partisan politics were in evidence then as well. Instead of seeing the WH as the national treasure it is, they personalized it towards President Truman.
Making it part of the National Parks was a great move to avoid such nonsense. President Truman was also pretty harsh with the builders. I'm not sure what brought that on as the problems with renovations of the past, aside from gross incompetence, was inadequate funding and unreasonable time pressure. He knew that but perhaps given a recalcitrant Congress, President Truman was attempting to ensure that as much got as possible. It is such a shame that historians were not present as the old building was torn out. There seemed to a real nastiness that a few dollars were more important than such American history.
If you had listened, you would have heard me praising him for his efforts.
@@PresidentialHP I did listen to the entire video ... twice. Your work is remarkable and I've seen nothing like it on video before.
However, in the context of the Green Room, your comments seem to me to be glib, when HST had few options regarding decorations. I think Sen Byrd, for example, would have left the rooms unfurnished and the heat off given his hatred of President Truman.
I’m flattered that you watched it twice. I suppose we can disagree about the extent to which the blame belongs to Truman. But thanks for leaving a comment! Be sure to join the livestream after Part III premieres!
You had me hanging on every word until you referred to modernist architects as idiots. Why be like that? Not only is it ungracious It undermines your credibility.
Well, they are idiots. They perniciously pursue ugliness; that's despicable in my book.
@@PresidentialHP I am with you. Le Corbusier planned to demolish much of the centre of Paris and replace it with cruciform-shaped high-rises.
The Grant portrait is post-Grant occupancy. No portrait of Grant was done in the Lincoln or Johnson era.
"No portrait of Grant was done in the Lincoln or Johnson era."
That's simply not true. The one of him and his family I highlighted was painted in 1867, and Johnson was president until 1869.
"Pseudo-artistic idiots" Haha!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of the history of The White House decor. I have certainly enjoyed parts one and two, but I did cringe when you called the blue room a saloon. The correct term is salon.
Thanks for the comment! Actually, the Blue Room was OFFICIALLY called the "Elliptical Saloon", not the "Elliptical Salon". You're thinking of a different kind of room popular in the French architectural vernacular that bled into English tradition after Louis XIV. Sometimes it's better not to correct people if you're unsure of what's going on.
Thank you for enlightening me! I appreciate your knowledge and am looking forward to your next segment.
You're most welcome. Do join us for the livestream after the premiere of Part III!@@user-bm9nh4vl5x
“Ginormous”? Really? You are an historian and a videographer. I guess you also say, “Flustrated”? Also not a word. Come on man!
Ginormous is a word: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ginormous#:~:text=adjective,pool%20and%20a%20pool%20table
www.oed.com/dictionary/ginormous_adj?tab=factsheet#2908285
Take it up with Merriam-Webster AND the Oxford English Dictionary, punk.
I should have known you possess no authority on the English language when I saw that you omitted a comma from the sentence "Come on man." The correct phraseology dictates that it be written "Come on, man."
I think Jackson looked at a corner of the green room and said, "Hell itself couldnt warm that corner "
A continuing architectural criticism is that the rooms are too tall for the space
Possibly.
That Franklin painting is now at the State Department--a big mistake.
Moving it out of the White House certainly is a mistake; let's hope it returns!
Benjamin Franklin has once again lost his place of prominence in the Green Room. A WHHA video of the Green Room shows a portrait of First Lady Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt (the second Mrs. Theodore) now hanging above the mantle.
So what about the staircase that used to exist???
Which one? The one near the State Dining Room?
If it was the one at the state dining room it was removed in 1902.
Yes. Discuss that and show pictures and diagrams. Lincoln walked down that staircase to go to Ford's theater
It will be discussed in Part III. Patience, my friend.@@johnryskamp2943
It will be discussed in Part III. Patience, my friend.@@johnryskamp2943
All the doors are to make the flow of the public smoother. The first floor rooms are ceremonial rooms. They are not for intimate gatherings.
Actually, the white house is far too small for everything which goes on there, but it's proved impossible to expand the public spaces because they don't want to change the public profile. They should really build a new one and make the current one into a museum.
"They should really build a new one and make the current one into a museum."
What a frightful idea!
BTW, those round mirrors in the GR aren't so you can see yourself, they're so women can check their hems
Actually, Girandole mirrors were designed to spread the light of the candles often placed in the holders in front of the mirror. It was a cost-saving measure.
Willie Lincoln did NOT die in the Green Room; he died in the Prince of Wales room on the second floor which overlooked the north lawn. Willie was embalmed in the Green Room.
I know, it was a small speaking error.