The "Presidential Collection Room", now the China Room, was designated by
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson in 1917 to display the growing collection of White
House china. The room was redecorated in 1970, retaining the traditional
red color scheme determined by the portrait of Mrs. Calvin Coolidge--painted
by Howard Chandler Christy in 1924. President
Coolidge, who was scheduled to sit for Christy, was too occupied that
day with events concerning the Teapot Dome oil scandal. So the President
postponed his appointment, and Mrs. Coolidge posed instead.
The red theme continues in the red velvet-lined cabinets, silk taffeta
draperies and the early 20th-century Indo-Ispahan rug. The cut glass
chandelier, made about 1800, is in the English Regency style. Flanking
the portrait of Mrs. Coolidge are Chippendale sidechairs used by
President George
Washington in the earlier presidential residences in New York and
Philadelphia. The painting above the mantel, "View on the Mississippi
Fifty-Seven Miles Below St. Anthony Falls, Minneapolis", was completed
by Ferdinand Richardt in 1858--the year Minnesota achieved statehood.
Almost every past President is represented in the China Room either by
state or family china or glassware. The collection is arranged
chronologically, beginning to the right of the fireplace. Even the
earliest Presidents received government funds to purchase state china.
However, by a special clause in the appropriation bills, "decayed
furnishings" could be sold and the proceeds used to buy replacements.
Such "furnishings" included state china, and during the 19th century the
cupboards were frequently swept clean and the contents carted off to
auction. The money could then be used to order a new china service that
better suited the President and his family.
An array of presidential
china is on display in the China Room.