May 24, 1955
May 24, 1955 The First Ladies’ Hall reopens in the west-north range of the Arts and Industries Building after extensive renovations. Attendees at the opening included President Dwight Eisenhower and Mamie Eisenhower, who had recently donated her inaugural dress. The exhibit features reconstructions of eight White House rooms, decorated in period style from its earliest appearance to the present time, containing architectural details recovered from the White House during its recent renovation. The new exhibit is part of the Institution’s Exhibit Modernization Program, which updated the exhibits across the Smithsonian.
The photo shows the gowns (from left) of Martha Johnson Patterson, daughter of President Andrew Johnson; Mary Todd Lincoln; Harriet Lane, niece of President of James Buchanan; Jane Appleton Pierce; Abigail Powers Fillmore; and Betty Taylor Bliss, daughter of President Zachary Taylor.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution Archives
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Posted: 24 May 2012
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