About this Event
The White House Historical Association will be hosting a week long lunchtime Holiday Book Festival with different authors featured each day!
Signing Daily: Marcia Anderson and Kristen Mason authors of The Official White House Ornament: Collected Stories of A Holiday Tradition.
Enter a raffle to win an original drawing by artist John Hutton!
Featured Authors for Wednesday, December 1:
James Archer Abbott and Elaine Rice Bachmann will be signing Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration and Its Legacy.
On February 23, 1961, Jacqueline Kennedy launched the most historic and celebrated redesign of the White House in its history. The White House announced Mrs. Kennedy’s plan to locate and acquire the finest period furniture, with which the historical integrity of the Executive Mansion’s interiors would be restored. Thanks to the vision of the young first lady, who was determined to make her new home the most perfect house in the United States, a committee was formed, a law was passed, donations were sought, a nonprofit partner was chartered, and an inalienable museum-quality collection that would belong to the nation was born. An illustrated chronicle of the restoration, this volume celebrates the sixty-year legacy of one of the most influential interior design projects in American history. First-person reflections, personal and public correspondence, media accounts, and photographs are included with detailed room-by-room analyses of the restoration, anecdotes about the people involved, and insights into the decisions made by Mrs. Kennedy in transforming the house into the national treasure we know today.
The White House Historical Association published its first book, The White House: An Historic Guide, in 1962. It was the wish of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy that such a book be written, and she participated actively in the editing. For nearly sixty years, the Association has continued to produce award-winning books on a wide range of subjects related to the history of the President’s House, from its architecture, gardens, fine and decorative arts to the presidents and first ladies who lived there over the years. Our list includes titles that will appeal to history buffs and art lovers, connoisseurs and curious amateurs, scholars and tourists, adults and children. All proceeds from the sale of the Association’s books and products are used to fund the acquisition of historic furnishings and artwork for the permanent White House Collection, assist in the preservation of public rooms, and further its educational mission.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
White House History Shop, 1610 H Street Northwest, Washington, United States
USD 0.00