Yellow Oval Room
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2009) |
The Yellow Oval Room is an oval room located on the south side of the second floor in the
The room is entered from the
History
On January 1, 1801, and before it was even complete, John Adams held the first presidential reception in this room, known then only as "the upstairs oval parlor." Dolley Madison first decorated the room in yellow damask in 1809.
In 1851, Abigail Fillmore got an allocation from Congress for books to make the room into the first White House Library. The Harrisons continued to use the room as a library and family parlor and, in 1889, put the first White House Christmas tree here.
Furnishings
The earliest written description of the room dates to the John Adams administration, and describes the room as a ladies drawing room. The room was papered in yellow with gilded stars, and a suite of crimson furniture. This furniture, likely a mix of
With the building of the
Under the direction of Pat Nixon, the room was refurbished (although the project was not complete until just after President Nixon's resignation).[1] The Yellow Oval Room was redesigned in a more academic style by the Nixons' new curator, Clement Conger, with architect and interior designer Edward Vason Jones. Vason Jones replaced Sister Parish's simple curtains that fit within the window frames with the current grander gold and coral stripe that cover the woodwork, somewhat reducing the sense of height of the room. A settee and two matching chairs, crafted for President James Monroe in 1805, were donated by a resident of Houston, Texas.[1] A Hereke carpet from Turkey and four bergère enclosed armchairs from France were also added to the room.[1] The total cost of the renovation was $400,000 ($2,471,255 in 2023 dollars).[1]
During the Carter administration, American Impressionist paintings, including those of Mary Cassatt, were acquired and hung in this room and the Center Hall.
Nancy Reagan, with her designer Ted Graber, brought back the two upholstered sofas used by Jacqueline Kennedy in the room. Laura Bush, working with her family decorator Ken Blasingame, replaced these sofas with similar ones of a slightly larger scale; returned a number of bouillotte lamps to the room; and added an overmantel mirror. She also re-installed the chandelier from the Kennedy era, which Pat Nixon had replaced with an overscale, Empire chandelier, formerly in the Kennedy Blue Room.
References
Further reading
- Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration. Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. ISBN 0-442-02532-7.
- Clinton, Hillary Rodham. An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History. Simon & Schuster: 2000. ISBN 0-684-85799-5.
- Monkman, Betty C. The White House: The Historic Furnishing & First Families. Abbeville Press: 2000. ISBN 0-7892-0624-2.
- Seale, William. The President's House. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 1986. ISBN 0-912308-28-1.
- Seale, William, The White House: The History of an American Idea. White House Historical Association: 1992, 2001. ISBN 0-912308-85-0.
- The White House: An Historic Guide. White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. ISBN 0-912308-79-6.
- West, J.B. with Mary Lynn Kotz. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. Coward, McCann & Geoghegan: 1973. SBN 698-10546-X.
External links
