The White House Office of the Curator is charged with the conservation and study of the collection of fine art, furniture and decorative objects used to furnish both the public and private rooms of the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
as an official residence and as an accredited
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...
.
The office began in 1961 during the administration of
President John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until assassination of Joh ...
while
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy oversaw the restoration of the White House. The office is located in the ground floor of the White House
Executive Residence
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dire ...
. The office, headed by the curator of the White House, includes an associate curator, an assistant curator, and a curatorial assistant. The office works with the
chief usher, the
Committee for the Preservation of the White House
The Committee for the Preservation of the White House is an advisory committee charged with the preservation of the White House, the official home and principal workplace of the president of the United States. The committee is largely made up of c ...
and the
White House Historical Association
The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, non-profit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make that history more accessible to the pub ...
.
The most recent White House curator is Lydia Tederick, appointed in 2017.
Previously it was
William G. Allman, who was appointed by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
in 2002 and retired in June 2017.
Curators' charge
The curator of the White House, or less formally White House curator, is head of the White House Office of the Curator which is charged with the conservation and study of the collection of fine art, furniture and decorative objects used to furnish both the public and private rooms of the White House.
The first curator of the White House was
Lorraine Waxman Pearce
Lorraine Waxman Pearce, sometimes known as Lorraine Pearce, (April 14, 1934-March 14, 2017) was a decorative arts scholar and the inaugural White House art curator, key to the Kennedy restoration of the White House.
Subsequent to her hiring by ...
who was appointed in March 1961. Pearce was a graduate of the preservation program at the
Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum.
Curators of the White House
![White House Curator office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/White_House_Curator_office.png)
To date seven curators have served in the White House; they are:
See also
*
Art in the White House
The White House's art collection, sometimes also called the White House Collection or Pride of the American Nation, has grown over time from donations from descendants of the Founding Fathers to commissions by established artists. It comprises pai ...
*
Committee for the Preservation of the White House
The Committee for the Preservation of the White House is an advisory committee charged with the preservation of the White House, the official home and principal workplace of the president of the United States. The committee is largely made up of c ...
*
White House Historical Association
The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, non-profit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make that history more accessible to the pub ...
Footnotes
References
* Abbott James A., and Elaine M. Rice. ''Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration.'' Van Nostrand Reinhold: 1998. .
* Garrett, Wendell. ''Our Changing White House.'' Northeastern University Press: 1995. .
* Monkman, Betty C. ''The White House: The Historic Furnishing & First Families.'' Abbeville Press: 2000. .
* ''The White House: An Historic Guide.'' White House Historical Association and the National Geographic Society: 2001. .
External links
White House website biography of curator William G. Allman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curator, White House of the
White House
White House Executive Residence Operations
Rooms in the White House
White House Curators
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis