Miscellaneous additions

Added a couple pics sent by Stephen B and another of the Ike Oval Office pics.

After John in NOLA sent scans of a Jan 1961 Nat'l Geographic article with well-preserved images, I was able to re-color-correct the Ike-era photos (and one Kennedy-era photo) to more accurately reflect the original colors. The gray-green walls and blue-green carpet are very tricky to get right—especially with source images that are in varying stages of fading and deterioration.

UPDATE: Rare photo of President Marlon Brando and First Lady Audrey Hepburn-Brando welcoming former Governor Ronald Reagan to the White House in the Yellow Oval Room in 1981.

Mentions

Hey, super trivia deep background king Ken Jennings mentioned us. He's looking for portraits of presidents suitable for reproduction. (I know, I know: most first ladies found their husbands suitable for reproduction. He already thought of that joke. He has a brain the size of Andrew Jackson's cheese wheel.)

The WaPo also mentioned us, in regard to the movies and TV page.

And the AP references the Queen's Bedroom page.

East Room pre-Lincoln?

Stephen B sent this scan of an etching of the East Room that looks to him and to me to be pre-Lincoln. I'm not sure of where it came from (original had a frame that made it look like probably a postcard) and Stephen didn't give a hint as to its origin or age. Any takers?

I've tentatively added it to the page (with a circa 1858 date) for easy comparison.

Ike-o-rama

Andy send a note tipping me off to some Eisenhower WH photos now available on the Ike Library site. Great mansion interiors and exteriors and color Oval Office snaps! Wow! More here...

Thanks Andy! I'll get right to work on these. The WHM has been light on Ike all along.

UPDATE: Stuck in ORD for three hours, I added 16 Ike-era images, which nicely filled in holes on a dozen pages. Check out the porthole TV in the West Sitting Hall!

Andy's link to the Kennedy before-and-after photos. These are already included in the WHM.

New old photos

Added several more historical photos forwarded by Pete. Thanks, Pete!

Also, I saw The Simpsons Movie and posted my review of its depiction of the White House, which didn't change from seeing it in the trailer.

PS— I still don't have a review of Commander in Chief. Didn't anyone watch that show?

Virtual White House tour: meh

Someone called Henny X has produced a virtual White House for Sim games. I don't know a lot about the Sim universe, but I can see that a lot of work went into creating the replica, but not a lot of research....

UPDATE: John's link to JBK's childhood home

UPDATE: Shane's sim Octagonal Office

Stephen Colbert in the White House

For some reason I haven't figured out, fake pundit Stephen Colbert visited the White House Press Briefing Room the other day. The Hou Chron is there....

Also, I've added Pete's review of seasons 4-6 of The West Wing to the Movies & TV page.

Resolute desk question

Allen L asks about the Resolute desk:

In some photos of the desk througout history there is a plaque on it. In some photos its on the front of the desk and in some its on the back (where someone would be seated) and now it doesn't seem to be there at all. My questions are

1. If the plaque is no longer there..where is it? who had it removed and why?

and

2. Why is the plaque on different sides of the desk depending on the photo?

Open post: Nothing new

Busy weekend and training this week. Nothing new from the White House.

Shane pointed out this YouTube clip of the new Press Briefing Room.

West Wing ground floor

Substantial changes to the WW ground floor based on info from knowledgeable sources, now showing, for example, the fact that the Navy Mess pick-up window was moved.

My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

Just saw a trailer for the new Simpsons movie with "President Schwarzenegger." We'll have to review the accuracy of their depiction of the White House. My first impression:

There are too many windows on the north face. The proportions of the Oval Office are right, but the sofas are too far apart. The blind doors have been turned into normal doors, and the east side doors to the Rose Garden have been switched with the door and book cases on the west side. There is a naval painting over the mantle, which is appropriately Kennedy-esque, but I don't think any previous president has actually had a nameplate on his desk; it seems... unnecessary. The rug is rather Clinton-esque.

Goggles clip....

More mess

The Navy Mess post prompted more input from knowledgable sources. More changes soon....

UPDATE: Changed the ground floor layout and added some new pics provided in kindly fashion by Pete.

What a mess...

Bryan D e-mailed me about a recent minuscule change to the WW ground floor page where I added a label for "Ward Room." I got a tip about the Ward Room some time ago and had only managed to research it enough to feel I understood what and where it was enough to add a reference. On a ship, the ward room is an officers' mess and lounge room, so I think the WH Ward Room is probably a fancier dining room just off the Navy Mess dining room. It seems likely, then, that some of the pictures I have on the Navy Mess page are actually of the Ward Room, so I made mention on the Navy Mess page.

• Rush Limbaugh 2006 (lunch with Rove, "seats about 14 people")
  
• Bob Novak 2005 (policy meetings)
• WSJ 2003 (lunch in "dark, wood-paneled...," quoted half-way down)
  
• Washington Monthly (VIP lunch)
  
• Time 1997 (political strategy session, about 2/3 down)
  
• Time 1996 ("a small, private conference room next to the White House mess," about half-way down)

Open post: PBR

Added a few more pics of the briefing room. Now that we've seen it, what are your reactions?

Another Hou Chron blog entry from Julie Mason.
Mark Silva's The Swamp blog entry.

Lady Bird passes

Claudia Alta Taylor "Lady Bird" Johnson has passed away at the age of 94, the epitome of southern charm and grace. Condolences and best wishes to her family and friends.

UPDATE: Link to tribute site. Also, changed the front page to that wonderful photo of her swirling around the Central Hall.

Press Briefing Room

Briefing room is due to be unveiled today. Pete points out that around 8:00 AM "people may want to try to tune in to CNN or something like that to see George and Laura host the unveiling ceremony." I'll post updates during the day as better pics become available. I expect Time's WH Photo of the Day to have a good one early.

UPDATES:
WH release
WH fact sheet

ABC/AP story, with gut-wrenching "President Bush is a real cut-up" lede.
Examiner/AP story, same writer, leaving the excrutiating turns of phrase to the president.

FLASH: Hou Chron's Julie Mason rocks the inside scoop--pool pics!

President Bloomberg's White House

Weird article on how Michael Bloomberg might alter the West Wing... if he wanted to make it like his current offices.... if he were to become president... if he were to run....

Press Briefing Room

Still awaiting decent pictures of the new Press Briefing Room and Press Offices.... Here is another article, with images that will make any photographer wince. Why pay professionals handsome salaries if you're only going to display their pictures 274 pixels across?

The article says they haven't enlarged it at all and have even kept the pool—the pool that's been covered and unused for fully half its existence.

UPDATE: Added pics to the Press Briefing Room and Press Offices pages, including a mind-blowing photo of the brand-new Nixon briefing/tea party room from a great article passed along by both Robert and Pete.

Ford auction

Jack M passed along the details of the Guernsey's Gerald R Ford auction being held this weekend. The catalog (PDF) consists of 45 pages of items from the Ford home in Beaver Creek, Colorado, including engraved gives from Lucille Ball, golf memorabilia, and several elephant collectibles.

Thanks, Jack!

Guernsey's is also separately selling a genuine JFK rocking chair.

Happy Independence Day

Today--more or less--marks the first anniversary of the White House Museum grand opening. There was a "soft opening" in June, but that was mainly to make sure the pH balance in the fountain was right and the security system was working. Over time, we've overcome the serious setback of being robbed by Danny Ocean and are ready for what the next year brings.

A dip in the press pool

Julie Mason of the Houston Chronicle has indeed come thru with pics of the new press area! I didn't realize it at first because the Chron bloggers moved to a new site.

I also missed the tee-ball coverage.

New front page: Bush 2 Lincoln Bedroom

I changed the front page to one of the new Lincoln Bedroom. The WHHA seems to be holding off on a new An Historic Guide until the Bush renovations are complete, but that may be January 2009....

Interesting shot of the gold chairs in, I think, the East Room.

Also: congratulations to Mimlog on a, uh, Minilog.