The White House is first and foremost.

The White House is first and foremost a residence for presidents and their families and the White House Collection includes many furnishings that make a house feel like a home. 

Over the years, beds, dining sets, decorative arts objects, and recreational activities have filled the rooms of the White House. 

Not all the furniture that has cycled through the White House has remained in the White House Collections, but later acquisitions of antique pieces give an idea of what type of furniture may have occupied the White House of presidents past. 

 

For example, this mahogany-veneered oak card table made in 1825 was not added to the White House Collection until 1961.

 However, it provides information about the furniture that may have filled the White House during the 1820s under President James Monroe and President John Quincy Adams.

 

This card table is an example of the American Empire style of furniture, which rose in popularity in the 1820s, taking after the French Empire style. Furniture of the American Empire style was often heavy and bulky and typically featured carved wood or metal decorative pieces. This table features a carved lyre, one of many Greek and Roman motifs that embellished furniture of the American Empire style.  

 

Image: White House Historical Association