Vermeil Room
This article cites its page references.(September 2010) ) |
The Vermeil Room (
McKim creates the Social Room for Theodore Roosevelt
The Vermeil Room was originally a staff work room used for storage and later for polishing silver.
Truman reconstruction
The Truman reconstruction of the White House in 1952 replaced the 1815 pine beams installed during the reconstruction of the house after its burning by the British in 1814. President
Margaret Thompson Biddle's bequest
Margaret Thompson Biddle's collection was significant and ranged from Renaissance to 19th-century French and English pieces. The collection includes work by English Regency silversmith Paul Storr (1771–1844) and French Empire silversmiths Pierre-Philippe Thomire (1751–1843), and Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot (1763–1850). First Lady Mamie Eisenhower had the collection displayed in the room's glass-enclosed vitrines.
Biddle was the daughter of
Kennedy use and redecoration
At first, only displayed in the Vermeil Room in a museum-like setting, First Lady
The interior of the shelves displaying the vermeil was covered in white velvet. One of two neoclassical caryatid mantels was installed (still in place). White damask drapes were made with blue and off-white fringe trim. A finely patterned blue and white carpet was installed, and a large center table was created with a custom-dyed blue velvet cloth not delivered until the Johnson years. A gilded chandelier, referring to the vermeil collection, was installed. The result was a gallery room, not a sitting room. The White House: An Historic Guide (1964) shows an architectural cross-section of Boudin's blue Vermeil Room.
Nixon redecoration
In 1971 First Lady
George H.W. Bush redecoration
In 1991, during the George H. W. Bush administration, the room was repainted a soft yellow, the pier table was replaced with an empire-style sofa, and a pair of lolling chairs replaced the two federal-style sofas. The striped gold-and-blue drapery was replaced with striped silk damask in blue and cream.
George W. Bush redecoration
In 2006 the White House curator Bill Allman, First Lady
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |
Further reading
- Abbott, James A. (August 1995). Frenchman in Camelot. ISBN 978-0-9646659-0-3.
- Abbott, James Archer; Rice, Elaine M. (1998). Designing Camelot. ISBN 978-0-442-02532-8.
- Abbott, James Archer; Jansen, Jean-Henri (2006). Owens, Mitchell (ed.). Jansen. Acanthus Press Llc. ISBN 978-0-926494-33-6.
- Helme, Tom; Friedman, Joseph; Terestchenko, Ivan (2003). Paint and color in decoration. Rizzoli Intl Pubns. ISBN 978-0-8478-2593-6.
- McKellar, Kenneth, Douglas W. Orr, Edward Martin, et al. Report of the Commission on the Renovation of the Executive Mansion. Commission on the Renovation of the Executive Mansion, Government Printing Office: 1952.
- Mellon, Rachel Lambert. The White House Gardens Concepts and Design of the Rose Garden. Great American Editions Ltd.: 1973.
- Monkman, Betty C. (2000-11-01). The White House. Abbeville Press. ISBN 978-0-7892-0624-4.
- Seale, William (1986). The President's House. ISBN 978-0-912308-28-9.
- Seale, William (January 2001). The White House. ISBN 978-0-912308-85-2.
- The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1964.