"A New White House Post," Evening Star, Lorraine Waxman Pearce Collection
This article by Mary L. Vaughan in the Evening Star titled "A New White House Post: 26-Year-Old Washington Mother Named Curator" is dated March 30, 1961. In the article, Vaughan reports on First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy selecting Lorraine Waxman Pearce for the position of White House Curator. Vaughan details the work Pearce will undergo as White House Curator including creating an official catalogue and renovating the White House with a historic, 19th century influence. Pearce studied at Winterthur Museum and wrote her thesis on French influence on American Decorative arts in the 19th century, which would influence her work at the White House. A photoraph of Pearce and her husband John N. Pearce in their home is featured (taken by Paul Schmick).
This newspaper article is part of the Lorraine Waxman Pearce Collection. Lorraine Waxman Pearce served as the first White House Curator from 1961 to 1962. As curator, she oversaw refurbishment projects, implemented collections policies, and collaborated with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to write the first White House guidebook—a joint publication of the National Geographic Society and the White House Historical Association. Since its original publication in 1962, “The White House: An Historic Guide” has been revised, updated, and printed for over 60 years.