Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Jacqueline Kennedy's Green Room

First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.
Photo:  LIFE magazine, 1961.
This esssay is the third in the series on the history of decoration for the Green Room of the White House.  The first part, which inspired this whole series, presents the refurbishing by Laura Bush, may be viewed here.  To give background information, a survey of all the redecorations of the Green Room through Mamie Eisenhower is prented in the second part;  it may be viewed here. 
Poet Robert Frost with President John F. Kennedy.
The Green Room of the White House, 1961,
showing the decoration from the Truman era.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston.
Only 31 years old, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy none-the-less was perhaps the most qualified First Lady to ever take on the decoration of the White House.  Before the inauguration, Mrs. Kennedy requested background information on the history of the White House and floor plans from the Library of Congress to begin planning the much-needed refurbishing.

December 9, 1960.
The wife of President-Elect John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline, shakes hands
with the wife of the current President, Mamie Eisenhower.
AP Wire Photo.
The customary tour by the  out-going First Lady for the in-coming was tense by all accounts.  Mrs. Kennedy compared the Eisenhower 'Pink House' to the infamous Russian prison Lubianka.  According  to FIRST LADIES, VOLUME ONE, Mamie Eisenhower, having breakfast in bed the next morning after the tour, warned the staff, "She's planning to redo every room in this house. . .You've got quite a project ahead of you.  There are certainly going to be some changes made around here!"
Mrs. Henry (Sister) Parish, 2nd.
Photo by Wilbur Pippin.
From ALBERT HADLEY: THE STORY OF
AMERICA'S PREEIMINENT INTERIOR DESIGNER.
The Kennedys had been working with New York society decorator Mrs. Henry Parish, 2nd, on their Georgetown house, so 'Sister' as she was known, was the obvious choice to make their furniture work in the second floor private living quarters, along with the additional furnishings that would be required.  (In January, 1962, Albert Hadley would join her firm which would become Parish-Hadley in 1964, this writer's former employer).  The $50,000 allocation for decorating was spent in just two weeks, however, with a kitchen and private Dining Room (seen here.)  added on the second floor to make the White House suitable for a family with children.  Mrs. Kennedy realized a more structured plan would have to be developed to realize her goals for the State Rooms to be filled with art, antique furniture and appropriate new rugs and curtains based on historic documents.
Arturo Pini di san Miniato, President of the National Society of
Interior Designers, presents the first Thomas Jefferson Award to
Henry Francis du Pont for his work at the White House.
Photo:  AP Wide World Photo, White House Historical Association.
Changes in tax laws made charitable donations more favorable and the Kennedys had many wealthy and influential friends who were called upon, along with an appeal to the public, to make gifts of antiques and cash to the White House.  Mrs. Kennedy wisely organized the Fine Arts Committee for the White House and served as the honorary chairperson.  Henry Francis duPont, the founder of the Winterthur Museum of American Decorative Arts and the foremost connosieur in his field in the day, was announced as chairman on February 23, 1961.  Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, the noted collectors of 18th century Fench Furniture, were among the members of the committee, and played a large part in the introduction of the French Taste in both the State Rooms and the Private Quarters.  Public Law 87-286, passed in September, 1961, created a permanent White House furnishings collection to accept these gifts and established the position of curator.
Stephane Boudin in the Treaty Room of the White House,
photographed by Jacqueline Kennedy.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston.
With Sister Parish to create the comfortable and tasteful family environment, and Henry duPont to create a museum-quality decor, Stephane Boudin was brought in to add sophistication and glamour.  The head of the influential French decorating firm, Maison Jansen, was introduced to Mrs. Kennedy by Jayne Wrightsman, a Jansen client herself.  Jayne Wrightsman had become a mentor to Jackie Kennedy and Boudin helped  mediate the differences between Mrs. Parish and Mr. du Pont, each having the backing of committee members and donors who were each looking to have their interests in the decoration realized.  Although not entirely a secret, Boudin was kept out of the spotlight that was on the otherwise all-American team.  It was not until the 1997 publication of DESIGNING CAMELOT: THE KENNEDY WHITE HOUSE RESTORATION written by James Archer Abbott and Elaine Rice that the contributions of Boudin became widely known.  The Treaty Room, the Red Room, and the Blue Room, in particular, were triumphs of decoration, providing inspiration in design that influences the profession still today.
Fabric sample from the office of Mrs. Henry Parish, II.
Image:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Boston.
Delays in getting the desired wall and curtain fabric contributed to the Green Room decoration not being completed before President Kennedy's assasination on November 23, 1963.  As the numerous Scalamandre samples were rejected, the existing Truman era fabric had to remain while Boudin arranged to have the silk moire specially woven by the historic French firm Tassinari & Chatel.  The existing green fabric had a blue cast and the new fabric had yellow tonalities, so the new seating fabric had to coordinate with both.  Boudin often used white damasks and brocades for upholstery, but there was surely little consideration that anything else would work in this situation.
March 15, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
Many photos of the Green Room taken by the White House staff photographers were intended to make a record of the flower arrangements rather than document the progress of the redecoration.  But that secondary accomplishment was made as well as seen in these images taken before a dinner to honor Polish Prince Stanislaw and Princess Lee (the First Lady's Sister) Radziwill.  Although there have been some rearrangements, the furnishings largely remain the same as they were for the Eisenhowers.  Among the first changes was the art.
March 15, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
A large portrait of President Millard Fillmore now hangs over the Daniel Webster settee.  And it looks like a painted Louis XVI fauteuil is being tried out at the seating group at the fireplace opposite.
May 8, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
In this photo, the First Lady, in a navy blue dress, speaks with the wife of astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to travel into space, at a reception following the award of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.  Sister-in-law Ethel Kennedy, in a pink suit with her back to the camera, speaks to the astronaut's mother, carrying an Autumn Haze mink stole and what is undoubtedly her daughter-in-law's handbag as well as her own.  Also note the hats, gloves, stockings and orchid corsages, clearly accepted attire for lady guests at a daytime reception at the White House.
March 15, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
The double hanging of paintings was being studied for the north wall flanking the main entrance to the room.  Here the floral arrangement is in conflict with the portrait of President Andrew Johnson.
May 3, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
Among Mrs. Kennedy's favorite paintings in the White House collection were eight paintings by Paul Cezanne, given by Charles A. Loeser;  she had two intstalled in the Green Room.  "The Forest", 1890-92, is shown above, hanging at a height to consider a floral arrangement beneath.
June 28, 1961.
"The Forest" by Paul Cezanne.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
June 28, 1961.
"House on the Marne" by Paul Cezanne.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
As shown in the photos of the First Lady with Miss P. Calnan, the grand-daughter of the donor, the paintings are above the optimal viewing height.
October 4, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
Different chairs are tried with two pairs from a set of four on the north wall, at the Cezanne paintings flanking the main entrance to the room, and a pair at the settee in the foreground.
November 1, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
In a similar view, the different chairs are less-upholstered and decidedly more American.  The Cezanne paintings remain in position, however.  At a later date, they are deemed inappropriate for the Green Room and relocated to the second floor private quarters.
November 2, 1961.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
By November, 1961, the 1858 portrait of President Franklin Pierce is placed above the fireplace.  The Truman curtains, in the same fabric as the wall hangings, are reworked to delete the gilt valance and hang within the window trim.
November 2, 1961.
(Reversed view).
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
In the view of the south wall, reversed, a Baltimore desk is placed beneath a Georgian mirro between the windows.  It was later discovered to be a reproduction and removed.  This is another view of the curtains refitted to be installed within the trim.
December, 1961.
The Special Committee for White House Paintings.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
Gathered for a photo, and what appears to be a film as well, is the Special Committee for White House Paintings.  The First Lady, seated and wearing what appears to be a black velvet dress, speaks to Henry du Pont, standing in the brown suit behind.  Seated next to Jacqueline Kennedy is James W. Fosburgh, the chairman of the committee.  Also seated, in the red dress, cape and mink hat is Susan Mary Alsop.  Standing, left to right, is Suzette M. Zurcher; Stanley Marcus, the Dallas department store millionaire;  Lawrence Fleishchmann; Minnie (Mary Benedict Cushing Astor) Fosburgh; Nathaniel Saltonstall;  Andrea Cowdin;  Henry Francis du Pont, Chairman of the White House Fine Arts Committee;  Helen Chisholm Halle;  Babe (Barbara Cushing Mortimer) Paley; and Joseph Pulitzer, Jr.  The new rug appears to be a neo-classical Savonnerie, and brackets with Paris Porcelain urns are added to flank the mirror between the windows.
January 31, 1962.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
In the January, 1962, view, the portrait of Benjamin Franklin is seen over the fireplace now, and the lolling chairs appear in white damask, one at the Webster settee, but the other at the window near the door to the East Room.  The Truman rug has returned.
1962
Photo:  Tom Leonard, Conde Nast.
Another view of the room before the wall fabric is changed, showing the reworked curtains of the same material, but set within the window trim.  The crystal sconces still flank both the sofa and the fireplace until the wall fabric is changed.
Photo:  White House Historical Association.
The Daniel Webster sofa gets upholstered in a fabric from Scalamandre.  This photo is undated and may have been taken at the same time as the following view of the room.
A 1963 view of the room showing the new wall fabric,
a neo-classical rug,and revised installation of paintings.
Photo:  Family of (White House Photographer) Robert Knudsen.
This photograph is not in the Kennedy Library collection, and thought to be taken after the President's death, as a last record of Jacqueline Kennedy's efforts for the room.  The furniture has all been reupholstered and the fabric for the walls has finally arrived (via diplomatic pouch so there was no record at U.S. Customs of foreign goods for the White House) and is installed.  This writer could find no view of the windows in this room in the digital photos of the subsequent Lyndon B. Johnson administration, however, but presumably they were made of the same fabric as planned.  The Savonnerie rug is a bit shy of optimal dimensions but a great improvement over the commercial grade rug from the Truman era.  Also of note is the choice of art and the placement.

An undated photo showing the Boudin-designed curtains installed.
Photo:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

1963 (or later).
Photo:  Private Collection.
Thanks to a Devoted Reader, here is a view of the new curtains, in the same fabric as the walls.  Very much in the style of Stephane Boudin, straight panels hang from behind a valance of shaped tabs with contrasting trim.
Image:  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
This illustration was the personal Christmas card for the President and Mrs. Kennedy for 1963, with a pre-printed message line and signatures;  it was sent to close friends, despite the President's death.  It shows the Green Room from the opposite direction as the last photo, with the specially woven green silk moire from France and the same arrangement of furniture, clearly the intended design.  The rug is optimally sized and the art includes installations over the doorways.  A tall secretary bookcase is placed between the windows, flanked by another pair of lolling chairs, similar to those flanking the Webster sofa.  And notably the design for the curtains is indicated, more what would be expected for a chic private interior than a period American museum room.

Despite that a few sources had stated that Lady Bird Johnson changed the chandelier in this room during the time of her husband's Presidency, this writer could find no evidence to support that.    In fact most of the decoration (with the exception of the Oval Office) intentionally remained intact as a tribute to the efforts of Jacqueline Kennedy.  It appears that the decoration of the Green Room remained until a major refurbishing by First Lady Pat Nixon almost ten years later;  that will be the subject of the next post of The Devoted Classicist.

22 comments:

  1. John, I really love your educational and entertaining blog and this series of posts on the White House in particular! Some people might post a picture, and MAYBE say they like or don't like something, but do not note what it is, where it came from, and so forth. How boring! I enjoy your interesting blog so much and can hardly wait for the next installment in this series!

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    1. Thank you, LMS. I am in agreement with your assessment of blogging trends. But sometimes there are some wonderful surprises in the Comments from true experts, providing more interesting information than the text of the blog post.

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  2. Thank you. The historical information and time-line make the creative process and decisions involved come alive. Mary

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    1. I appreciate your comment Mary. I think it was an interesting process, especially considering all the other work going on in the other rooms at the same time.

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  3. Thank you DC. Now I'm going to do just what your commentator LMS didn't like...express an opinion on the last of the photographs you show of the Green Room. I think this transformation works very well, and I agree with your design comment about the carpet. I would add, that IMO the pictures are slightly "wrong". The top of the two on the lhs should be in line with the top of the two on thr rhs. But preferable to that would be to swap the oval shaped picture with the one above the architrave, thus creating a more harmonious balance of symmetry. But I'm just overly keen on symmetry and classical order, and it of course only my opinion.

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    1. Thank you, Columnist. Surely the subject of the paintings came into consideration with that placement, which I agree is not ideal. I would like to think the Kennedy arrangement would have eventually been improved with the borrowing of art from museums and new acquisitions for the White House collection. This whole process has brought the issue of art into the spotlight, and you'll see that in the up-coming post.

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  4. Interesting to see that in the final scheme the curtain installation is placed over the wood trim once more, as had been done during the Truman renovation. Boudin hung the curtains inside the window trim in many of the upstairs rooms (to great effect in the the Queen's Sitting Room), but here I actually like the look of the curtains over the trim. It softens the overall feel, and frames the windows beautifully.

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  5. Dear DC,

    What I enjoy about this posting is being able to see the incremental changes as they take place. I imagine it must have been a little maddening for the committee to see the room coming together while that awful blue-green wall covering continued to predominate. I'm glad that the Kennedy green has been retained to this day.

    Isn't it interesting to note how Jackie Kennedy's transformations (color-wise) brought the room closer to the look of the Theodore Roosevelt era?

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    1. Viewing an unfinished scheme is always tricky, as I advise my own clients; a complete, all-at-once installation is preferable, if possible. But each small change in this case was usually an improvement, and of course the Green Room still had to be used. There is currently a bit of chatter on the internet about changing the fabric again, to a darker green, but I don't think anything will come of it anytime soon. I think Jackie Kennedy looked at old photos and studied what had worked and what had not, a practice that seems to not have always been followed since. Of course, having good advisors always helps.

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  6. Just when I thought I'd been Green-Roomed out, along comes this terrific
    post with its nearly forensic analysis of the Kennedy White House designs!
    Superbly done, too. What Mrs Kennedy and her advisors were doing back then
    is a subject of endless fascination; and it is astonishing how time hasn't diminished
    the impact of her contributions (nor that of Boudin- who, let's face it, set the standard.)

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    1. Toby, I have been interested in the Kennedy White House refurbishing since I was young, even vaguely remembering the historic TV tour given by the First Lady. Learning more through Mrs Parish and Mr Hadley, my former employers, plus what I learned about Boudin and Jansen from James Archer Abbott really sealed my fascination on the topic. So please hold on for just one more Green Room post, and we'll all be up to date.

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  7. The Kennedy Green Room's combination of olive walls, white upholstery & brownish classic-style rug was the direct inspiration for my own former living room--I used paint, not silk moire--but I never realized that the reason behind the White House's choice of white fabrics was one of simple practicality: they would work with both the old and the new decors. Who knew?

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    1. Simply Grand, the blending of the chic with the practical is always a good solution, isn't it? Thank you for commenting.

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  8. I understand Mrs Kennedy wanted the State Rooms to be filled with art, antique furniture and appropriate new rugs and curtains _based on historic documents_. But does that mean that previous White House interiors were legally protected by some sort of heritage ruling? If so, how much power did the Fine Arts Committee have in radical decision making?

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  9. Before President Kennedy, the furniture of the White House was held in varying regard. Some presidents took furniture when they left office and others sold it. Jackie Kennedy and Pat Nixon were successful in having some notable pieces returned, however. Of course, Presidents sometimes bring their own furniture to furnish the private quarters, and, naturally, they take it when they leave. The Fine Arts Committee during the Kennedy era had a great deal of clout, especially when a member's own money was privately financing a project. (Although President Kennedy's father was famously wealthy, JFK did not have personal fortune; however, he did donate his salary to charities).

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  10. For those of you who subscribe to Comments, please note that a photo that allows a glimpse of the Kennedy/Boudin curtains has been added.

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  11. Great post! I love green rooms, especially when they have those proportions.

    Dean

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    1. Thanks, Dean. As a reception room, I can see that one would not want sink-down-into upholstery, but legginess is also an issue. A closer look at the architectural features will be seen in the following post.

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  12. It really is a beautiful, classic room. One thing I noticed in the picture of Jackie standing next to the Cezanne is how high it was hung above eye level.
    Had to smile when I saw the reference to President Fillmore. Where I grew up (Auburn NY) senior skip day was always at Fillmore Glen.

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    1. M.N.H., there are still some who think that a picture height must be based on the ceiling height of the room. But this is a good example of eye-level being more effective, isn't it? There will be a further evolution of paintings in the next post. Thank you for commenting.

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  13. For those who subscribe to Comments, a better photo of the Boudin-designed curtains was submitted by a Devoted Reader and added to the post as an up-dated version.

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