Red Room (White House)

Throughout the nineteenth century, the Red Room changed a number of styles from American neoclassical and neo-Renaissance to neococo and modernism . By order of President James Monroe in 1819, a marble fireplace from Italy was delivered to the White House, which was installed in the main dining room. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt chose the architect Charles McKim to repair the White House. The architect moved the fireplace from the dining room to the Red Room, and also updated the furniture in it, upholstering it and the walls with burgundy velvet silk.

By 1951, the presidential house was very dilapidated and needed a complete renovation. President Truman began a major renovation of the building. The interior was largely dismantled. The Red Room was also reconstructed. The ceiling height was reduced by about 18 centimeters, it was again plastered, and the ceiling ornament resembled a starry sky.

The French mantel clock of 1775 - 1780 in the style of Louis XVI was presented to Truman by French President Vincent Oriolene in 1954 after the completion of the "Truman" reconstruction of the house ( 1949 - 1952 ). Most of the furniture and antiques currently in the Red Room were acquired during the presidency of Kennedy and Nixon.

John Kennedy's wife, nee Bouvier , chose the American neoclassical style for the Red Room and hired designer Stefan Boudin to decorate the interior. The room was decorated with gilded dolphins, plant leaves, lion heads and sphinxes, which were then very popular. New furniture was mainly bought in New York from Charles Honore Lannuier . She was covered with cherry silk to match the color of the walls. It depicted a drawing of fruits, gold medallions and scrolls. Wall coverings - cherry-colored silk, decorative ribbons and upholstery were made by Scalamandré, an American textile factory. An empire style sofa purchased during this period was previously owned by Nelly Custis , daughter of Martha Washington . At the same time , a cream-colored French carpet of 1815 with an ornament in the form of a medallion, red roses, laurel leaves was purchased. It went well with the red wall cladding and furniture.

In 1971, another first lady of the United States, Pet Nixon, took up the interior renewal. For work, she hired the architect and designer Edward Jones . The ceiling was again plastered, and a medallion ornament appeared on it, corresponding to the medallion on the carpet. The wall cladding became scarlet. Bust between two windows was a bust of President Martin van Buren , carved by the sculptor Hiram Powers . A portrait of President Buren Angelica’s daughter, painted in 1842 by Henry Inman, was hung over the fireplace. The panels are draped with yellow-gold satin with hand-made fringe. The curtains for the room were made by designer Edward Johnson in the English style.

In 2000, the Red Room was renewed again under the leadership of Hillary Clinton . The color of the walls and the upholstery was changed to red carmine, which is typical of the 19th century. The restoration of the Red Room and the entire White House took place regularly with the arrival of the new first family in the White House.

Madison, Lincoln, Grande and Kennedy used the room as a music room. It was often played on the piano, guitar and piano. Today, the musical stand by the fireplace recalls that once the room was the musical center of the White House. Eleanor Roosevelt used the room to meet with the press. After the state funeral of President Kennedy, his wife received the heads of foreign states in the Red Room. Reagan often used the room as a room for taking photos with heads of state. Clinton had small parties in the room.

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  President Barack Obama in the Red Room, 2009

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  Obama with his wife Michelle and Valerie Jarett , 2009

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  Family of President George W. Bush 2005

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  First Lady Nancy Reagan in the Red Room, 1981

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  President Truman receives a French watch and two lamps from the French ambassador Henri Bonnet, on behalf of French President Vincent Orillieux.

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• West, JB with Mary Lynn Kotz. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan: 1973. SBN 698-10546-X.
• Wolff, Perry. A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Doubleday & Company: 1962.
• Exhibition Catalog, Sale 6834: The Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis April 23-26, 1996. Sothebys, Inc .: 1996.
• The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6 .
• The White House: Celebrating Two Hundred Years 1800-2000. White House Historical Association: 2002. ISBN 0-912308-87-7 .

• White house web site
• White House Museum's Red Room page