Treaty Room, Kennedy Administration, Lorraine Waxman Pearce Collection
This photograph of the Treaty Room was taken in May 1962. The Treaty Room is located on the Second Floor of the White House and has been used as the president’s private study where the commander-in-chief can analyze reports, hold private meetings, edit speeches, and host family gatherings. It is one of the most historic rooms in the house, bearing witness to the signing of the peace protocol between Spain and United States in 1898, and the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1963, and it is possibly where President James Monroe composed the Monroe Doctrine. It has also served as the Cabinet Room for various administrations including Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, and William McKinley.
This photograph 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.