Furnished in the Empire style of 1810-30, the Red Room
contains several pieces of
furniture from the New York workshop of the French-born cabinetmaker
Charles-Honoré Lannuier. Benjamin Latrobe's 1803 drawing of the State
Floor indicates that the Red Room served as "the President's Antichamber"
for the Cabinet Room or President's Library next door. During the Madison
Administration the antechamber became the "Yellow Drawing Room" and the
scene of Dolley
Madison's
fashionable Wednesday night receptions.
In "that centre of attraction" said a lady
who knew her well, one saw "all these whom fashion, fame, beauty, wealth or
talents, have render'd celebrated."
Descriptions in contemporary accounts and bills of sale indicate that Monroe
purchased furnishings for the Red Room, as well as for the present
day Blue
Room, in the prevailing Empire style. This style suited
Monroe's desire to furnish the house in a manner that he considered
appropriate to the dignity of the nation.
The room has usually served as a parlor
or sitting room; recent Presidents have had small dinner parties here.
In 2000 the Red Room was refurbished, preserving the American Empire
style chosen in 1962 during the Kennedy
Administration. The elegance of the Red Room furniture derives from a
combination of richly carved and finished woods in characteristic designs
such as dolphins, acanthus leaves, lion's heads, and sphinxes. The
furniture displays many motifs similar to those of the French pieces now
in the Blue Room. Egyptian
motifs were extensively used in French Empire furnishings following
Napoleon's 1798-99 campaign in Egypt, and many of these same designs were
adopted by cabinetmakers working in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia.
All the fabrics now in the Red Room were woven in the United States from
French Empire designs. The walls are covered by a red twill satin fabric
with a gold scroll design in the borders. The furniture, like the
American Empire sofa, is upholstered in a silk of the same shade of red.
An early 19th-century design inspired the draperies.
The carpet--of beige, red and gold--is a
reproduction of an early 19th-century French Savonnerie carpet in the
White House collection; it was made for the room in 1997. The 36-light
French Empire chandelier was fashioned from carved
and gilded wood in 1805.
Some of the paintings in
the Red Room today are available for viewing.
