Zachary Taylor's daughter gave a portrait of her father. A descendant
of Martin Van Buren's bequeathed a marble bust of him, as well as an
elegant oil portrait of his
daughter-in-law and hostess, Angelica Singleton Van Buren (at right).
[Angelica Singleton Van Buren]
Members of
Abraham Lincoln's family presented portraits of both Lincoln and his
wife.
Theodore Roosevelt's family gave a black and white illustration by
Frederic Remington that features one Roosevelt's adventures.
In 1963 the family of
John F. Kennedy
contributed a painting by French Impressionist Claude Monet as a tribute to President Kennedy's great love of the out of
doors.
These gifts from presidential families, however, account for only a small number of works acquired over the years. More recently the growth of the fine arts collection has depended heavily on the generosity of the American public, and today the Executive Mansion houses nearly 450 examples of painting and sculpture.
A number of works by important artists--Jasper Cropsey, William Glackens,
and Maurice Prendergast among them--have been given by their descendants.
Other individuals too have become participants in the national collecting
enterprise, securing works of art for the "house owned by all the
American people." One donor, upon learning that the Executive Mansion
wanted to acquire a particular view of the Rocky Mountains by Albert
Bierstadt, purchased it, placed it on loan, and eventually gave it to the
collection. When a newspaper reported that the White House had been the
unsuccessful bidder for a genre scene by George Caleb Bingham, a
citizen of the artist's home state, Missouri, offered a contribution. He
donated a share in the river scene by Bingham that he owned, and funds
from a second donor completed the purchase. Aware of
President Jimmy Carter's admiration of William M. Harnett's
Cincinnati Enquirer (at left, below), on loan to the White House,
a donor bought it for the collection.
Art for the President's House II
Art for the President's House III
Art for the President's House IV
Art for the President's House V
Art for the President's House VI
Art for the President's House VII
Art for the President's House VIII
Art for the President's House IX
Art for the President's House X
Art for the President's House XI
Art for the President's House XII
Art for the President's House XIII
Art for the President's House XIV
Art for the President's House XV
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