>>176305, >>176306, >>176307, >>176308, >>176309, >>176310, >>176311, >>176312, >>176313, >>176314, >>176315, >>176316, >>176317, >>176318, >>176319, >>176320, >>176321, >>176322, >>176323, >>176324, >>176325, >>176326, >>176327, >>176328, >>176329, >>176330, >>176331, >>176332, >>176333, >>176334, >>176335, >>176336, >>176337, >>176338, >>176339, >>176340, >>176341, >>176342, >>176343, >>176344, >>176345, >>176346, >>176347, >>176348, >>176349, >>176350, >>176351, >>176352, >>176353, >>176354, >>176355, >>176356, >>176357, >>176358, >>176359, >>176360, >>176361, >>176362, >>176363, >>176364, >>176365, >>176366, >>176367, >>176368, >>176369, >>176370, >>176371, >>176372, >>176373, >>176374, >>176375, >>176376, >>176377, >>176378, >>176379, >>176380
When the Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History)
opened in 1964, the new First Ladies’ Hall included larger and more elegant period rooms that furnished to resemble the White House from different eras. The collection remained on view in this display until 1987, when a renovation of the museum required the dismantling of First Ladies’ Hall. This allowed for major conservation
treatment of the gowns and development of a larger and more interpretive new exhibition. “First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image” opened in 1992 and showcased selections from the gown collection while exploring the dimensions of the unofficial role of this often prominent and influential public figure.
For decades, the First Ladies Collection has been one of the most popular attractions at the Smithsonian and has undergone many iterations. In November 2011, the museum opened “The First Ladies,” featuring more than two dozen gowns from the Smithsonian’s 100-year-old First Ladies Collection, including those worn by Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, Michelle
Obama, Melania Trump, and Jill Biden, and now highlights a second gown from Melania Trump, the first first lady to have two non-consecutive inaugurations. Although the iconic collection of dresses are prominently displayed, this is more than a collection of fashion.
The exhibition explores the way that different first ladies shape their own version of this important position that has no official job description, and the museum works to document the first lady’s time in office and her impact on American society.
Today some 1,000 objects in the First Ladies Collection represent a range of materials from inaugural gowns and other dresses to personal effects and White House ephemera. The collection resides within the museum’s Division of Political History under the curatorial supervision of curator
Lisa Kathleen Graddy…
Darlene Superville
AP
Fri. Feb. 20, 11:01 AM
https://x.com/WHPressPool/status/2024908925351473592

White House Press Pool Reports @WHPressPool - In-town pool report #8 - Flagging POTUS briefing at 12.45p
President Trump will hold a press briefing on the Supreme Court’s tariff decision at 12:45PM ET
Naomi Lim