Art in the White House

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]

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]

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  Portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart, 1796
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  Portrait of John Adams by John Trumbull, c. 1792−1793
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  Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale, 1800
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  Portrait of Andrew Jackson by Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl, c. 1835
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  Portrait of William Henry Harrison by James Reid Lambdin, 1835
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  Portrait of Millard Fillmore by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1857
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  Portrait of John Quincy Adams by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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  Portrait of Franklin Pierce by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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  Portrait of Martin Van Buren by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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  Portrait of James Knox Polk by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1858
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  Portrait of John Tyler by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1864
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  Portrait of Abraham Lincoln by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1869
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  Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent, 1902
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  Portrait of William Howard Taft by Anders Zorn, 1911
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  Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt by Frank O. Salisbury, 1947
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  Portrait of John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler, 1970

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  To the Genius of Franklin by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1778
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  Landing of the Pilgrims by Michele Felice Cornè, between c. 1805 and c. 1807
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  The President's House by George Munger, between c. 1814 and c. 1815
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  Mouth of the Delaware by Thomas Birch, 1828
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  City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard by George Cooke, 1833
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  Dismissal of School on an October Afternoon by Henry Inman, 1845
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  Lighter Relieving the Steamboat Aground by George Caleb Bingham, 1847
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  Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, 1851
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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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  Boston Harbor by Fitz Hugh Lane, 1854
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  Boys Crabbing by William Ranney, 1855
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  Farmyard in Winter by George Henry Durrie, 1858
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  Independence Hall in Philadelphia by Ferdinand Richardt, between c. 1858 and c. 1863
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  Waiting for the Hour by William Tolman Carlton, 1863
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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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  Sailing off the Coast by Martin Johnson Heade, 1869
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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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  Nocturne James Abbott McNeill Whistler, c. 1870−1877
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  Storm Clouds by Albert Bierstadt, c. 1880
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  Surf at Prout's Neck by Winslow Homer, c. 1895
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  U.S.S. Galena by Antonio Jacobsen, 1909
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  The Mosquito Net by John Singer Sargent, 1912
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  Three Children by George Bellows, 1919

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  Paysage avec clocher (Landscape with Bell Tower) by Paul Cézanne, c. 1875
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  Maisons flottantes sur un fleuve (Houses Floating on a River) by Paul Cézanne, between 1875 and 1877
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  Still Life With Quince, Apples, and Pears by Paul Cézanne, between 1885 and 1887
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  Hameau à Payennet près de Gardanne (Hamlet at Payennet, near Gardanne) by Paul Cézanne, between 1886 and 1890
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  Maison au bord de la Marne (House on the Marne) by Paul Cézanne, between 1888 and 1894
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  Sous-bois (Underwood) by Paul Cézanne, between 1890 and 1892
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  Still Life With Skull by Paul Cézanne, c. 1900
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  Maisons sur la colline, Provence (Houses on the Hill) by Paul Cézanne, between 1904 and 1906

• 
  Matinée sur la Seine, le beau temps (Morning on the Seine, good weather) by Claude Monet, 1897 (donation Mrs J.F. Kennedy in 1963)^[12]

• Committee for the Preservation of the White House
• United States Capitol art
  • List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex
• White House Acquisition Trust

Notes

Sources

• The White House Collection