This photograph of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in the China Room was taken by Sharon Farmer on April 13, 1998 during the 1998 White House Easter Egg Roll. President and Mrs. Clinton are seen using computers to look at the Internet. Standing between them is Howard Lefkowitz, the vice president of business development and Internet marketing for EarthLink. Lefkowitz developed and produced the first cybercast of the White House Easter Egg Roll that occurred that day. Lefkowitz would go on to produce the cybercast for the 1999 and 2000 White House Easter Egg Roll as well.

This photograph of President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in the China Room was taken by Sharon Farmer on April 13, 1998 during the 1998 White House Easter Egg Roll. President and Mrs. Clinton are seen using computers to look at the Internet. Standing between them is Howard Lefkowitz, the vice president of business development and Internet marketing for EarthLink. Lefkowitz developed and produced the first cybercast of the White House Easter Egg Roll that occurred that day. Lefkowitz would go on to produce the cybercast for the 1999 and 2000 White House Easter Egg Roll as well.

This composite is a compilation of materials from the Lorraine Waxman Pearce Collection and other sources. Lorraine Waxman Pearce served as the first White House Curator from 1961 to 1962. This composite may only be used for press and publicity purposes related to the collection. All other uses must be approved by the White House Historical Association in writing.

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace.

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace.

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace. Over the mantel, captured here, a garland of pinecones and red berries was draped beneath Edward Mitchell Bannister's "The Farm Landing".

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace. Over the mantel, captured here, a garland of pinecones and red berries was draped beneath Edward Mitchell Bannister's "The Farm Landing".

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace.

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace.

This photograph of a baker's bench in the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of artisanal breads in recognition of the thoughtful process of baking, echoing the theme of peace.

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on December 2, 2024 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "A Season of Peace and Light" as the 2024 holiday theme. For President and Dr. Biden’s final winter holiday season at the White House, the décor was inspired by the spirit of goodwill and gratitude and the festive opening of the doors to the President’s House. The China Room featured a baker’s bench with a display of breads in recognition of the diligent and thoughtful process of baking bread.

This photograph features White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier and pastry chefs Susan "Susie" E. Morrison and Marlene Roudebush along with a group of unidentified individuals standing behind the 1999 White House Gingerbread House in the China Room. For the last holiday season of the century, the theme at the White House was about honoring the past. At the same time as the building of the gingerbread houses, the White House was preparing for a millennium celebration to be held on December 31, 1999. Americans were invited to decorate the White House with representations of national landmarks and portraits of important Americans. With this theme, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton requested the gingerbread house to be a display of architectural treasures from the Nation’s Capital. Joining the White House in gingerbread form included the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the Potomac River weaving through each design. Decorations included marzipan swags and fruit topiaries, traditional colonial Christmas decorations, and sugar fireworks to the tops of the four gingerbread buildings. 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 photograph features a member of the White House kitchen staff assembling the 1997 White House Gingerbread House. After all the members of the Clinton family had been represented in gingerbread houses in the previous years of the Bill Clinton administration, White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier was inspired by Santa’s workshop in the North Pole for the 1997 gingerbread house. The gingerbread house had two parts: a three story Victorian building to represent Santa Claus’s house and a connecting workshop with elves at work. A feature of the gingerbread house is Santa Claus on his sleigh using a cell phone. Assisting Chef Mesnier on the gingerbread house was Marlene Roudebush, the “Marzipan Queen.” Roudebush created all the marzipan elves and toys on display, which included a “Naughty or Nice” list. 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 photograph features White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier assembling the 1997 White House Gingerbread House in the China Room. Chef Mesnier was inspired by Santa’s workshop in the North Pole for the 1997 gingerbread house. The gingerbread house had two parts: a three story Victorian building to represent Santa Claus’s house and a connecting workshop with elves at work. A feature of the gingerbread house was Santa Claus on his sleigh using a cell phone, which was a hit with the press circle. Assisting Chef Mesnier was Marlene Roudebush, the “Marzipan Queen.” Roudebush created all the marzipan elves and toys on display, which included a “Naughty or Nice” list. 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 photograph features White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier assembling the 1997 White House Gingerbread House in the China Room. Chef Mesnier was inspired by Santa’s workshop in the North Pole for the 1997 gingerbread house. The gingerbread house had two parts: a three story Victorian building to represent Santa Claus’s house and a connecting workshop with elves at work. A feature of the gingerbread house was Santa Claus on his sleigh using a cell phone, which was a hit with the press circle. Assisting Chef Mesnier was Marlene Roudebush, the “Marzipan Queen.” Roudebush created all the marzipan elves and toys on display, which included a “Naughty or Nice” list. 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 photograph features pastry chefs Franette McCulloch and Susan "Susie" E. Morrison alongside White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier with the 1995 White House Gingerbread House in the China Room. Chef Mesnier replicated First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s childhood home in Park Ridge, Illinois. The Clintons’ aide, Carolyn Huber, provided pictures to help reproduce details in the house, such as the molding on the front door, distinctive window design, and ivy climbing up the wall. In 1994, Chef Mesnier constructed a similar gingerbread of President Bill Clinton's childhood home. For Mrs. Clinton's gingerbread, Chef Mesnier revealed interior rooms of a bedroom and living room to illustrate the scene of being the night before Christmas. In the bedroom, the scene depicts the line “While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads,” while the living room depicts the line “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.” Each room features marzipan detailings. 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 adding the finishing touches to a White House gingerbread house in the China Room around December 1993, during the Bill Clinton administration. The gingerbread house that year was dubbed "House of Socks" in honor of the Clinton family's pet cat Socks. The house was on display in the State Dining Room. 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 photograph features White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier and pastry Franette McCulloch with an unidentified person in the China Room with the 1994 White House Gingerbread House. Chef Mesnier replicated President Bill Clinton’s boyhood home in Hot Springs, Arkansas where he lived from 1954 to 1961. The Clintons’ aide, Carolyn Huber, provided pictures to help reproduce the half-timbered, Tudor-style house with a curved roofline. This design was kept a complete secret from the president. Additional details on the gingerbread house included green royal icing floodwork, a marzipan dog on the porch, a pie on the window sill, Santa Claus on the roof, and a marzipan snowman on the front lawn. 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 photograph features a television crew filming the assembly of the 1993 White House Gingerbread House in the China Room. White House Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier is featured using tempered couverture chocolate to join the walls of the house together. The 1993 White House Gingerbread House was inspired by the Clinton family’s cat, Socks, who is featured 22 times in marzipan form. The gingerbread house weighed nearly 100 pounds and took 150 hours to build. 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 in the China Room adding the finishing touches to a White House gingerbread house in December 1993, during the Bill Clinton administration. The gingerbread house that year was dubbed "House of Socks" in honor of the Clinton family's pet cat, Socks. The house was on display in the State Dining Room. 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 close-up photograph of the China Room holiday decorations was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The China Room was transformed into a sweet shop filled with holiday cakes, cookies, and gingerbread. Stacks of baking and cooking supplies brought to mind cherished family recipes shared over the holidays and across generations.

This close-up photograph of the China Room holiday decorations was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The China Room was transformed into a sweet shop filled with holiday cakes, cookies, and gingerbread. Stacks of baking and cooking supplies brought to mind cherished family recipes shared over the holidays and across generations.

This close-up photograph of the China Room holiday decorations was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The China Room was transformed into a sweet shop filled with holiday cakes, cookies, and gingerbread. Stacks of baking and cooking supplies brought to mind cherished family recipes shared over the holidays and across generations.

This close-up photograph of the China Room holiday decorations was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The China Room was transformed into a sweet shop filled with holiday cakes, cookies, and gingerbread. Stacks of baking and cooking supplies brought to mind cherished family recipes shared over the holidays and across generations.

This photograph of the China Room was taken by David Wiegold on November 27, 2023 during a press preview of the White House holiday decorations. President Joseph R. Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden selected "Magic, Wonder, and Joy" as the 2023 holiday theme. The decor was inspired by children and how they embrace and revel in the holiday season. The China Room was transformed into a sweet shop filled with holiday cakes, cookies, and gingerbread. Stacks of baking and cooking supplies brought to mind cherished family recipes shared over the holidays and across generations.