Just got the June 1992 Town & Country and October 2000 Life from Eric B, and they look fantastic! Thanks, Eric! Also, another edition of An Historic Guide arrived from Ebay, this one the 19th edition, from 1995.
Also, I added four diagrams: 1911 East Wing, 1911 West Wing, 1911 Residence, and the 1992 front door.
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I just LOVE seeing old floor plans. Some of you really pay attention to decor, drapes, furniture - but for me it's the brick and mortar, I love the building itself. I do appreciate the items within, even like it a lot. But I get really excited about the architecture.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm sorry sir, this is the *Senator's* coat room. If you're not a Senator or a Diplomat, you'll have to hang your coat on that big magnolia tree outside...
ReplyDeleteWingnut, I'm with you - I love old floor plans - seeing what changes have been made as the years go by, etc.
ReplyDeleteI especially enjoy seeing those plans/sketches from the Franklin Roosevelt and Truman years that are in Seale's book "The White House, The History of an American Idea". Eric Gugler's sketches of the 1934 Oval Office and the Cabinet Room - and Truman's elaborate plans for the West Wing extension that never got built.
My profession is architecture and It's fun to look at that stuff and figure out the design process they used to arrive at a particular scheme. What'll *really* drive you nuts is to have to draft (draw) an oval shaped room. There are three seperate compass points (I still LOVE drafting my plans on paper - although I do use a computer for some things) involved in drawing an oval shaped room and on some of the old plans of the White House (like the 1807 Latrobe plan, for instance) you can actually see his three compass points and also see where Latrobe goofed up and forgot to stop before moving the pen to the next compass point - just exactly like I've done a few times! Only Latrobe was using india ink and didn't have an electric eraser like I do, so his goofs went into the archives!
On the most recent Ground Floor diagram, the Diplomatic Reception Room is labeled as the Furnace Room. That Ground Floor Oval Room ceased to be the furnace room in 1902 during the TR/McKim renovation. In 1911 it was the Diplomatic Reception Room.
ReplyDeleteFixed.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I believe that was the handball room.
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of Mrs. Kennedy in the Map Room. Not sure of the extra info you might have on this, however it looks like she's doing prep-work for the Tour of the White House with Charles Collingwood, broadcasted 14 February 1962. The Map Room was the first stop during the tour. As a museum professional, the scene is is one of my favourites with historical objects scattered about, some balanced precariously on sofas and chairs.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous -
ReplyDeleteI believe you're exactly right. I have that same shot in the book "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy" (Doubleday, 1962), which is a document (in book form) of the 1962 CBS "Jackie White House Tour". Lots of cool pictures - both from the Kennedy era and historical pictures - in color and black & white, behind the scenes stuff and a word for word transcription of the tour with Charles Collingwood.
Anonymous is right. That is Charles Collingwood, the hair gives him away.
ReplyDeleteRe: Map Room/JBK/Charles Collingwood
ReplyDeleteFor the Daily Double and title of "Supreme White House Trivia Expert"
Who is the other man standing
behind Kennedy and Collingwodd?
Perry Wolff?
ReplyDeleteI'll bite.
ReplyDeleteRex Scouten
Dennis I think you got it! I can see that being a young Rex Scouten!
ReplyDeleteJohn, thanks to you I now know you Perry Wolff is. I googled him after your guess.
ReplyDeleteIf it isn't Rex Scouten, I have another name to throw out. How many chances do we get?
Is it Princess Radziwill in drag?
ReplyDeletePerry Wolff produced the CBS Television broadcast: "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy", which was shown on Feb 14, 1962. And he wrote the book of the same name, which was a word-for-word transcription of the show, with lots of still pictures from it and lots of historic photos as well.
ReplyDeletePrincess Radziwill wore contacts, didn't she? :)
Derek, I'm glad to know you received the magazines. I hope you enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Jackie, a former classmate of mine is a good friend of one of Mrs. Onassis' close friends. This close friend has been a guest in the Bush White House and she was not impressed with the Bush décor, to say the least.
So, does someone know the answer to the Trivia Question?
ReplyDeleteIt is Perry Wolff-
ReplyDeleteJohn in nola and Dennis should share the title of supreme WH Trivia Experts because they continually demonstrate a great knowledge of The White House and the families who have lived there.
I hereby concede to John. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteDang! And here I am without a thing to wear to the awards dinner! Since it's so awesomly hot here in New Orleans right now, I'll wear my seersucker suit jacket, a white button-down shirt, bowtie, khaki shorts and flip-flops. : )
ReplyDeleteActually I think this site represents some the *real* White House buffs out there - people who have been students of White House history for a lifetime! And from what I can see there are many of us who qualify to be W.H. trivia experts. Lord knows I've learned a lot here.
I'm obviously still working on "sartorial appropriateness..."