This photograph of John F. Kennedy, Jr., son of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and George E. Thomas was taken by Cecil Stoughton on November 27, 1962. Thomas was President Kennedy's valet from 1961 to 1963. In the photograph, Kennedy sits at a piano bench with Thomas standing beside him in the Center Hall of the White House. This was likely taken during a joint birthday party for Kennedy and his sister, Caroline.

This photograph is of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter walking with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom out of the Yellow Oval Room through the Center Hall. Karl Shumacher took this picture on December 17, 1979. President Carter wore a black tuxedo, a pleated dress shirt, and a black bow tie. Notched lapels, though considered the least formal lapel style, were particularly trendy at the time, and black remained the standard color for formal wear. While Carter was known for his casual Southern style, he recognized the significance of dressing formally for diplomatic occasions. A strong supporter of State Dinners, Carter hosted 40 during his presidency, including the largest in White House history at the time with over 1,340 guests.

In this photograph White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier (left) and assistant pastry chef Susan "Susie" E. Morrison stand in the Center Hall with a cake for President George W. Bush's 55th birthday. The baseball themed cake is decorated with a bat, mitt, and baseballs. The Center Hall is located on the Second Floor residence of the White House. This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Chef Mesnier created elaborate desserts for the White House from 1980 to 2004.

This is a photograph of First Lady Laura Welch Bush and former First Lady Nancy Reagan with a group of White House staff members. It is likely this group -- that includes curators, florists, chefs, and butlers -- worked in the White House during Mrs. Reagan's time living there and were reunited upon Mrs. Reagan's visit to the White House. The group is captured standing in the Center Hall on the Second Floor residence of the White House. An inscription on this photograph reads, "To Roland Mesnier / With best wishes," and is signed by both of the first ladies. This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Chef Mesnier created elaborate desserts for the White House from 1980 to 2004.

This is a photograph of First Lady Laura Welch Bush and former First Lady Nancy Reagan with a group of White House staff members. It is likely this group -- that includes curators, florists, chefs, and butlers -- worked in the White House during Mrs. Reagan's time living there and were reunited upon Mrs. Reagan's visit to the White House. The group is captured standing in the Center Hall on the Second Floor residence of the White House. This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Chef Mesnier created elaborate desserts for the White House from 1980 to 2004.

This is a photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier with President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin of the French Republic, and Sylviane Agacinski-Jospin, his wife, in the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House. A native of France, Mesnier was born in Bonnay, a small eastern town of just 150. This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Chef Mesnier created elaborate desserts for the White House from 1980 to 2004.

This is a photograph of White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier with President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin of the French Republic, and Sylviane Agacinski-Jospin, his wife, in the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House. A native of France, Mesnier was born in Bonnay, a small eastern town of just 150. An inscription from President Clinton reads, "To Roland / With Appreciation, / [signed] Bill Clinton" This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Chef Mesnier created elaborate desserts for the White House from 1980 to 2004.

This is a photograph of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton with White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland in the Center Hall of the White House on June 18, 1988. Chef Mesnier was in the Center Hall, located on the Second Floor residence, to meet Prime Minister Lionel Jospin of the French Republic and Sylviane Agacinski-Jospin, his wife, during their visit to the White House. A native of France, Mesnier was born in Bonnay, a small eastern town of just 150. This photograph is part of a personal collection belonging to former White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier. Chef Mesnier created elaborate desserts for the White House from 1980 to 2004.

In this photograph by Yoichi R. Okamoto, designer Geoffrey Beene holds up the shoulder-length veil worn by Lynda Bird Johnson at her wedding on December 9, 1967. Beene was captured in the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House that day ahead of the wedding ceremony. Lynda Bird Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, married Marine Corps Capt. Charles S. Robb in the East Room. The veil was made of silk illusion and attached to a coronet made of the same silk satin fabric and embroidery as her gown.

This photograph of the Center Hall was taken by Bruce White on October 30, 2021 during the Joseph R. Biden administration. The Center Hall traverses the length of the Second Floor from the east to the west ends of the Executive Mansion, much like the Cross Hall and the Ground Floor Corridor below. Here, the Center Hall is captured looking east toward the East Sitting Hall. The Center Hall serves as the lifeline of the first family’s residence, leading off into the Lincoln Bedroom, the Yellow Oval Room, and the Treaty Room, among others. It also serves as a drawing room for the first family and presidential guests who are received in the Yellow Oval Room. The furnishings invite those who would pass through to stop and sit, at least to view the artworks that the first family has chosen for display.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the southeast corner of the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House after its redecoration during the John F. Kennedy administration. On the wall hang a series of portraits of American Indians by American author and artist George Catlin borrowed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy from the National Gallery of Art. Also visible is a baby grand piano previously owned by President Henry S. Truman, and half of a Chinese Coromandel screen first loaned and subsequently given to the White House by Mrs. Boyd Hatch in 1961. Like the nearby East and West Sitting Halls, this space was redecorated by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Interior designer Sister Parish envisioned the design concept for the space, while furniture was acquired under the guidance of Henry Francis du Pont and arranged by interior designer Stéphane Boudin. The Center Hall traverses the length of the Second Floor from the east to the west ends of the Executive Mansion, much like the Cross Hall and the Ground Floor Corridor on the two floors below it. The Center Hall serves as the lifeline of the first family’s residence, leading off into the Lincoln Bedroom, the Yellow Oval Room, and the Treaty Room, among others.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House after its redecoration during the John F. Kennedy administration. On the wall hang a series of portraits of American Indians by American author and artist George Catlin borrowed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy from the National Gallery of Art. The portraits hang on either side of a doorway to the bedroom for the president and first lady's children, Caroline and John Jr. Like the nearby East and West Sitting Halls, this space was redecorated by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Interior designer Sister Parish envisioned the design concept for the space, while furniture was acquired under the guidance of Henry Francis du Pont and arranged by interior designer Stéphane Boudin. The Center Hall traverses the length of the Second Floor from the east to the west ends of the Executive Mansion, much like the Cross Hall and the Ground Floor Corridor. The Center Hall serves as the lifeline of the first family’s residence, leading off into the Lincoln Bedroom, the Yellow Oval Room, and the Treaty Room, among others.

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963, shows the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House after its redecoration during the John F. Kennedy administration. On the wall hang a series of portraits of American Indians by American author and artist George Catlin borrowed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy from the National Gallery of Art. Beneath the paintings is a Federal sofa, on loan and attributed to Samuel McIntire. Like the nearby East and West Sitting Halls, this space was redecorated by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Interior designer Sister Parish envisioned the design concept for the space, while furniture was acquired under the guidance of Henry Francis du Pont and arranged by interior designer Stéphane Boudin. The Center Hall traverses the length of the Second Floor from the east to the west ends of the Executive Mansion, much like the Cross Hall and the Ground Floor Corridor on the floors below it. The Center Hall serves as the lifeline of the first family’s residence, leading off into the Lincoln Bedroom, the Yellow Oval Room, and the Treaty Room, among others.

This photograph of the Center Hall looking east was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 7, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. Sister Parish, interior decorator and socialite, arranged the furniture in small intimate conversational groupings. Flanking the doors leading to the Grand Staircase are two halves of a large Chinese Coromandel screen. The Center Hall is located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion and connects the East and West Sitting Halls.

This photograph of the doorway to the Yellow Oval Room as seen from the Second Floor Center Hall was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on May 8, 1962, during the John F. Kennedy administration. Visible are George Catlin’s paintings of Native Americans, borrowed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy from the National Gallery of Art. Also shown are a settee and two chairs from the suite of Philadelphia seating furniture donated by the Americana Foundation. The Center Hall is located on the Second Floor of the Executive Mansion and connects the East and West Sitting Halls. The West Sitting Hall is recognized for its grand, arched window and serves as a comfortable and quiet location for the first family to relax.

This photograph shows former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller with President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. Haller was executive chef at the White House from 1966-1987, serving Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, Carter, and Ronald Reagan. For the Carter family, Haller's kitchen often prepared Southern comfort foods, such as baked cheese grits, fried chicken, and shrimp gumbo. This photograph is part of a collection belonging to former White House Executive Chef Henry Haller.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon can be seen with Reasoner, Wallace, and the crew in the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon is seen with Reasoner, Wallace, and creator and producer Don Hewitt in the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon can be seen with Wallace, Reasoner, and the crew in the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon is seen with creator and producer Don Hewitt in the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon shows Reasoner and Wallace the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon shows Reasoner and Wallace the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon can be seen with crew in the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This photograph was taken on April 25, 1970 during Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House. It shows the expanse of the Center Hall on the Second Floor of the White House. Crew members can be seen on the opposite side of the hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.

This behind-the-scenes photograph of Tricia Nixon's "60 Minutes" tour of the White House was taken on April 25, 1970 by James E. Russell. Nixon, the eldest daughter of President Richard M. Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon, guided reporters Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace through the living quarters used by the First Family, including rooms not often seen by the public. In this photograph, Nixon can be seen seated with Reasoner in the Center Hall. The tour was broadcast on May 26, 1970.