I've posted several photos from the 1962 Guide, including some from the West Wing and Residence. It's interesting to finally see some of the pre-makeover decor in color, looking pretty much as it looked in the Truman and Eisenhower eras.
Oh, there's the center table, covered in the gold tablecloth, in the Blue Room that Sister Parish thought looked like a "fat spanish dancer"! I have a good chuckle every time I think of that.
I have to admit that I rather like the 1962 Family Dining Room. Beautiful rug. It's very serene. Nice "Jackie: touches, like flowers, etc.
What's also interesting is that both the (Yellow) Oval Room and the Family Dining Room were designed originally to have applied moulding both above and below the chair rail, but they got stripped away above the wainscot in the Oval Room sometime in the 1920's (?) and yet they stayed in the Family Dining Room on through FDR and early Truman - so they got reproduced in the Truman Renovation! Then Jackie had them removed in the Family Dining Room, in '62.
JFK did keep part of the Truman decoration - the curtains and rug - but Sister Parish and Jackie painted the room off-white - and brought in the sofas that had been in the West Sitting Hall since the Truman Renovation. JFK's pre-Boudin Oval Office had a very different look from Eisenhower's office. The Oval Office walls were a medium green definitely through Truman and Eisenhower. Eisenhower's office was very spare (as befits a former military man) and had no sofas flanking the fireplace. Actually I THINK it was FDR who had the office painted green, when Eric Gugler designed the new "corner" O.O., in 1934. The walls of the 1909 Oval Office were a darker shade of this same green and I think FDR would have gone in for this tradition.
When I scan that cool pic of the Kennedy Blue Room window wall (with Truman wallcovering) - I'll also scan the pic of Eisenhower's green office from the January 1961 National Geographic. Prob'ly be tomorrow before I can scan them.
Ooops! I meant to say that both the upstairs Oval Room and the Family Dining Room were both designed BY McKIM in 1902 - to have mouldings both above and below the chair rail.
The way I had it worded in the post above could be taken to mean that Hoban designed them that way... sorry!
I prefer the 1963 Family Dining Room, altho I don't really like Jackie's "Froot Loops" carpet. I really like the yellow-above-and-white-below paint scheme. Today's room looks over-painted by comparison.
I like the Jackie Family Dining Room too - especially with the carpet she had placed in the room. Albert Hadley's 1962 draperies I could do without. Jackie's F.D.R. (hey! "FDR"! - OK, I need a life...) looked much better then that it does now. I'm not much on the current Reagan/totally "1980's" carpet.
Apparently Jackie herself wasn't too fond of her own Family Dining Room - Designing Cemelot says it was her least favorite State Floor Room.
By the way - I was looking at your Oval Office page of Historical Pics - and I looks like FDR DID have a white O.O. - so it must have been Truman who painted it green. I'll dig through some more books, including on called "Mr. President", from the Truman era, that has some great pics in color of the Truman Office.
I've never been fond of the chairs in the Family Dining Room, although I like the table and the huntboard (sideboard). What I did not like was L.B.J. attatching a telephone to the dining table. Look...someone will call you to the phone if it's war with Russia. Leave the furniture alone.
and while I'm on the subject, though not about these rooms... I don't particularly CARE for W putting his feet up on the Treaty Room table, either. Have some respect.
I didn't think the moulding above the wainscoting was all that bad, but I liked the yellow over white.
Wasn't it Boudin who referred to the gold tablecloth as a "fat spanish dancer?"
I would have rather seen a gold rug on the floor with the current round table that is now in the middle of the Blue Room. It bothers me to think that under that cloth was a simple utilitarian banquet table with fold up legs.
Even though I like the lighter walls post JBK (I thought Boudin's walls were TOO white), there is something warm and welcoming about the Truman royal blue and gold.
According to J.B. West in Upstairs at the White House it was Boudin who thought the gold fringed cloth looked like a fat Spanish dancer. However it had been Sister Parish who selected it. Of course after the JBK refurbishment there was a blue cloth with gold fringe covered table (maybe even the same table) that didn't look much better. I think the current table looks the best.
Was it Boudin who said that table looked like a fat spanish dancer? Then I stand corrected! I knew there was a "Sister" connection there somewhere... Poor Sister! She got no respect! No respect at all... But seriously... : )
What I'd personally like to see is the 1902 Blue Room eagle curtain poles (the ones used from 1902-1962) reused in some new curtains/draperies in the Blue Room. Apparently the Monroe/Bellange Oval Saloon (todays Blue Room) had gilded curtain poles with eagles and I think it would be a great way to reintroduce that feature - while at the same time re-use a histo - oops, I mean AN historic element of Blue Room decor.
If I've been a bit flaky recently, it's probably because I've been busy - ah, how shall we say this - building a relationship with a potential partner. Yes, there's a person in my life who will actually sit still (and not yawn) while I explain the finer points of Latrobe's furniture for Dolley Madison - then ask extremely intelligent questions and come back for more! And, since this person is a professor, I sit still (eagerly) while the finer points of Tennessee Williams and Faulkner are explained to me. Wish me luck!
Oh, there's the center table, covered in the gold tablecloth, in the Blue Room that Sister Parish thought looked like a "fat spanish dancer"! I have a good chuckle every time I think of that.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I rather like the 1962 Family Dining Room. Beautiful rug. It's very serene. Nice "Jackie: touches, like flowers, etc.
What's also interesting is that both the (Yellow) Oval Room and the Family Dining Room were designed originally to have applied moulding both above and below the chair rail, but they got stripped away above the wainscot in the Oval Room sometime in the 1920's (?) and yet they stayed in the Family Dining Room on through FDR and early Truman - so they got reproduced in the Truman Renovation! Then Jackie had them removed in the Family Dining Room, in '62.
JFK did keep part of the Truman decoration - the curtains and rug - but Sister Parish and Jackie painted the room off-white - and brought in the sofas that had been in the West Sitting Hall since the Truman Renovation. JFK's pre-Boudin Oval Office had a very different look from Eisenhower's office. The Oval Office walls were a medium green definitely through Truman and Eisenhower. Eisenhower's office was very spare (as befits a former military man) and had no sofas flanking the fireplace. Actually I THINK it was FDR who had the office painted green, when Eric Gugler designed the new "corner" O.O., in 1934. The walls of the 1909 Oval Office were a darker shade of this same green and I think FDR would have gone in for this tradition.
When I scan that cool pic of the Kennedy Blue Room window wall (with Truman wallcovering) - I'll also scan the pic of Eisenhower's green office from the January 1961 National Geographic. Prob'ly be tomorrow before I can scan them.
Ooops! I meant to say that both the upstairs Oval Room and the Family Dining Room were both designed BY McKIM in 1902 - to have mouldings both above and below the chair rail.
ReplyDeleteThe way I had it worded in the post above could be taken to mean that Hoban designed them that way... sorry!
I prefer the 1963 Family Dining Room, altho I don't really like Jackie's "Froot Loops" carpet. I really like the yellow-above-and-white-below paint scheme. Today's room looks over-painted by comparison.
ReplyDeleteil take pre-redecoration any day.
ReplyDeleteI like the Jackie Family Dining Room too - especially with the carpet she had placed in the room. Albert Hadley's 1962 draperies I could do without. Jackie's F.D.R. (hey! "FDR"! - OK, I need a life...) looked much better then that it does now. I'm not much on the current Reagan/totally "1980's" carpet.
ReplyDeleteApparently Jackie herself wasn't too fond of her own Family Dining Room - Designing Cemelot says it was her least favorite State Floor Room.
By the way - I was looking at your Oval Office page of Historical Pics - and I looks like FDR DID have a white O.O. - so it must have been Truman who painted it green. I'll dig through some more books, including on called "Mr. President", from the Truman era, that has some great pics in color of the Truman Office.
Gotta run - will scan that stuff later today.
I've never been fond of the chairs in the Family Dining Room, although I like the table and the huntboard (sideboard). What I did not like was L.B.J. attatching a telephone to the dining table. Look...someone will call you to the phone if it's war with Russia. Leave the furniture alone.
ReplyDeleteand while I'm on the subject, though not about these rooms... I don't particularly CARE for W putting his feet up on the Treaty Room table, either. Have some respect.
I didn't think the moulding above the wainscoting was all that bad, but I liked the yellow over white.
Wasn't it Boudin who referred to the gold tablecloth as a "fat spanish dancer?"
ReplyDeleteI would have rather seen a gold rug on the floor with the current round table that is now in the middle of the Blue Room. It bothers me to think that under that cloth was a simple utilitarian banquet table with fold up legs.
Even though I like the lighter walls post JBK (I thought Boudin's walls were TOO white), there is something warm and welcoming about the Truman royal blue and gold.
According to J.B. West in Upstairs at the White House it was Boudin who thought the gold fringed cloth looked like a fat Spanish dancer. However it had been Sister Parish who selected it. Of course after the JBK refurbishment there was a blue cloth with gold fringe covered table (maybe even the same table) that didn't look much better. I think the current table looks the best.
ReplyDeleteWas it Boudin who said that table looked like a fat spanish dancer? Then I stand corrected! I knew there was a "Sister" connection there somewhere... Poor Sister! She got no respect! No respect at all... But seriously... : )
ReplyDeleteWhat I'd personally like to see is the 1902 Blue Room eagle curtain poles (the ones used from 1902-1962) reused in some new curtains/draperies in the Blue Room. Apparently the Monroe/Bellange Oval Saloon (todays Blue Room) had gilded curtain poles with eagles and I think it would be a great way to reintroduce that feature - while at the same time re-use a histo - oops, I mean AN historic element of Blue Room decor.
If I've been a bit flaky recently, it's probably because I've been busy - ah, how shall we say this - building a relationship with a potential partner. Yes, there's a person in my life who will actually sit still (and not yawn) while I explain the finer points of Latrobe's furniture for Dolley Madison - then ask extremely intelligent questions and come back for more! And, since this person is a professor, I sit still (eagerly) while the finer points of Tennessee Williams and Faulkner are explained to me. Wish me luck!
ReplyDelete