• White House Executive Chef Jon Hill in the White House Kitchen
    Bill Fitz-Patrick
    Residence staff
    Kitchen
    Ground Floor
    staff
    This photograph is of White House Executive Chef Jon Hill in the White House Kitchen was taken by Bill Fitz-Patrick on September 3, 1987 at the start of his tenure. Chef Hill's time as Executive Chef was short-lived, ending in early 1988. During his time in the role, Hill oversaw the important State Visit with President Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) which resulted in the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
  • Chef Chambrin Prepares Easter Eggs for the 1998 Egg Roll
    Ralph Alswang
    staff
    holidays
    Residence staff
    Kitchen
    Ground Floor
    Easter Egg Roll
    Easter
    This photograph of White House Executive Chef Pierre Chambrin standing next to multiple trays of dyed and wooden Easter eggs in the White House Kitchen was taken by Ralph Alswang on April 8, 1998. The eggs were being dyed ahead of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn. The Easter Egg Roll, which first occurred in 1878, is one of the longest-standing traditions in the White House’s history.
  • Chef Comerford Prepares a Meal in the White House Kitchen
    Tina Hager
    staff
    food & drink
    Residence staff
    Kitchen
    Ground Floor
    State Visit
    State Dinner
    This photograph of White House assistant chef Cristeta "Cris" Comerford stirring sauce was taken by Tina Hager on July 17, 2002 in the White House Kitchen. Comerford prepared this sauce, alongside the six other sauces on burners in the background, for a State Dinner honoring President Aleksander Kwaśniewski of the Republic of Poland and Jolanta Kwaśniewska, the first lady of Poland. Comerford, who was named White House Executive Chef in 2005, is likely preparing the ‘BBQ Shallot Sauce’ which was served alongside smoked beef and corn polenta at the dinner.
  • Chef Raffert with Rosalynn and Amy Carter in the White House Kitchen
    Unknown
    staff
    Residence staff
    Kitchen
    Ground Floor
    First Family
    food & drink
    This photograph of White House chef Hans Raffert preparing food as First Lady Rosalynn and Amy Carter, her daughter, look on was taken in the White House Kitchen on January 24, 1980. The filets to the left of Chef Raffert are prepared for a traditional beef Wellington, while he is preparing scallops for service. Raffert formed relationships with every first family he worked for, including the Carters, and prepared their Sunday dinners after church.
  • Chefs Verdon and Spessot at Buffet Table for Mrs. Kennedy's Luncheon
    Robert L. Knudsen
    staff
    State Floor
    Residence staff
    East Room
    food & drink
    In this photograph, White House Executive Chef René G. A. Verdon (right) and assistant chef Julius Spessot (left) stand behind a banquet table for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s luncheon for newswomen. This luncheon took place on April 11, 1961 in the State Dining Room, just six days after Verdon’s first official meal as White House Executive Chef. This quick turnaround was expected in Verdon’s early tenure, as he was initially hired to cater the numerous meals presented after President John F. Kennedy took office. Like many White House luncheons at this time, this elegant display was presented buffet-style.
  • Chef Comerford Reviews Food in the East Room
    Chuck Kennedy
    winter holidays
    staff
    decorations
    State Floor
    Residence staff
    East Room
    holidays
    This photograph of White House Executive Chef Cristeta "Chris" Comerford was taken by Chuck Kennedy on December 3, 2014. In the photograph, Chef Comerford makes final preparations in the East Room of the White House before a Christmas holiday volunteer reception held during the Barack Obama administration.
  • President and Mrs. Reagan Welcome Michael Jackson to the White House
    Michael Evans
    staff
    initiatives
    White House Guests
    South Grounds
    Residence staff
    ceremonies
    This photograph of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan exiting the Diplomatic Entrance of the White House with pop star Michael Jackson was taken by Michael Evans on May 14, 1984. Jackson was on hand for a ceremony on the South Lawn where he was presented with a plaque recognizing his dedication to the National Campaign Against Drunk Driving. Standing at the far left is Roland A. Harley, a doorkeeper, messenger, and houseman who worked at the White House for nearly forty years, from around 1946 to 1984.
  • White House Calligraphers Set Table for Truman Dinner
    Robert L. Knudsen
    staff
    Residence staff
    State Floor
    State Dining Room
    This photograph of White House calligraphers setting out place cards in the State Dining Room was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on November 1, 1961. At left is Sanford L. Fox, chief of the White House Social Entertainments Office, with Russell Armentrout, assistant chief of the White House Social Entertainments Office, at right. The table was being set for a dinner hosted by President John F. Kennedy in honor of former President Harry S. Truman.
  • President Kennedy with Executive Chef René G. A. Verdon
    Cecil Stoughton
    staff
    Residence staff
    West Wing
    Outer Oval Office
    This photograph of President John F. Kennedy and White House Executive Chef René G. A. Verdon was taken by Cecil Stoughton on May 2, 1963. Chef Verdon joined the Kitchen team in a temporary capacity in 1961 but was soon hired by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as the first White House Executive Chef. He held that role until 1966. A native of France, this photograph was captured one day after Verdon became a United States citizen.
  • White House Executive Chef René G. A. Verdon with Kennedy Birthday Cake
    Cecil Stoughton
    staff
    Residence staff
    birthdays
    celebrations
    This photograph of White House Executive Chef René G. A. Verdon holding a birthday cake for President John F. Kennedy's birthday was taken by Cecil Stoughton on May 29, 1963. The cake was given to President Kennedy by members of the White House Residence staff during a surprise birthday party. Chef Verdon joined the Kitchen team in a temporary capacity in 1961 but was soon hired by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as the first White House Executive Chef. He held that role until 1966.
  • White House Butlers Prepare the Table in the Cabinet Room
    Pete Souza
    staff
    Residence staff
    West Wing
    Cabinet Room
    This photograph of White House butlers Ron Guy, left, and Von Everett, right, was taken by Pete Souza on October 13, 2009. Guy and Everett are captured setting the long table in the Cabinet Room ahead of President Barack Obama's working lunch with Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain. The Cabinet Room is located in the West Wing.
  • Anne H. Lincoln with White House Guests
    Cecil Stoughton
    staff
    Residence staff
    East Wing
    East Landing
    This photograph of Anne H. Lincoln with White House visitors was taken by Cecil Stoughton on September 21, 1961. Among the group, gathered in the East Landing of the East Wing, is Representative Jim Wright of Texas. Lincoln began working at the White House in 1961, when she was hired by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to be an assistant to social secretary Letitia Baldrige. All three women were alumnae of Vassar College. Lincoln later became the head housekeeper following Mrs. Kennedy's reorganization of the Residence staff in 1962. Lincoln remained in that position until 1965.
  • White House Gardeners Hassel R. Adams and Robert M. Redmond with Kennedy Dogs
    Robert L. Knudsen
    staff
    pets
    Residence staff
    South Grounds
    Rose Garden
    This photograph of Hassel R. Adams, center, and Robert M. Redmond, left, with the Kennedy family dogs was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on June 20, 1961. Adams is minding Charlie, a Welsh terrier, and Redmond is with Pushinka, a recent gift from Soviet Premier Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev to President John F. Kennedy. Redmond worked as a gardener from 1923 to 1963 and Adams was also on the gardens and grounds team. The group is photographed in the Rose Garden on the South Grounds of the White House.
  • President and Mrs. Obama Celebrate James Ramsey's Retirement
    Pete Souza
    staff
    Residence staff
    Diplomatic Reception Room
    Ground Floor
    This photograph of President Barack Obama hugging White House butler James Ramsey was taken by Pete Souza on January 25, 2010. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, looking on, gathered with White House Residence staff in the Diplomatic Reception Room to celebrate Ramsey's retirement. Ramsey worked at the White House for thirty years, from around 1980 to 2010, and served six presidents.
  • President Johnson in the White House Barber Shop
    Yoichi R. Okamoto
    staff
    Residence staff
    leisure
    This photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House Barber Shop was taken by Yoichi R. Okamoto on April 26, 1966. President Johnson is receiving a haircut from Steven E. Martini and a manicure from Anne M. Martini. Behind them are, from left to right: Jack Valenti, Joseph A. Califano, Jr., and Ford Bell, Sr. The Martinis, a married couple, both worked at the White House from around 1953 to 1970, grooming four presidents and members of the first family.
  • President Johnson and Grandson in the White House Barber Shop
    Michael Geissinger
    staff
    Residence staff
    First Family
    This photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson and his grandson Patrick Lyndon Nugent in the White House Barber Shop was taken by Michael Geissinger on October 1, 1968. In the photograph, President Johnson watches as his grandson gets a haircut from White House barber Steven E. Martini. Martini, along with his wife Anne M. Martini, worked at the White House from around 1953 to 1970, grooming four presidents and members of the first family.
  • White House Chief Floral Designer Elmer M. Young
    Robert L. Knudsen
    staff
    Residence staff
    Ground Floor
    Flower Shop
    This photograph is of White House Chief Floral Designer Elmer M. "Rusty" Young tending to a floral arrangement in the Flower Shop was taken by Robert L. Knudsen on August 28, 1963. Young was hired by the White House as a florist in 1953 and was later promoted to chief floral designer by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. He was the first person to hold that position, a role he held until his retirement in 1981.
  • White House Cooks on the South Lawn
    Unknown
    staff
    Residence staff
    South Grounds
    South Lawn
    South Portico
    This photograph of White House cooks Katherine Buckley and Hannah Heffernan was taken in 1926. Both women, immigrants from Ireland, began working at the White House that same year. Buckley would work in the Kitchen until 1933 while Heffernan worked until around 1930. They are photographed on the South Lawn of the White House Grounds with the South Portico behind them, possibly around Easter.
  • White House Cooks on the South Portico Steps
    Unknown
    staff
    Residence staff
    South Grounds
    South Portico
    This photograph of White House cooks Katherine Buckley, Elsie Rodenhauser, and Hannah Heffernan was taken in October 1926. The group is photographed sitting on the steps to the South Portico of the White House. Buckley worked in the Kitchen from 1926 to 1933, Rodenhauser as both a kitchen assistant and cook from 1922 to 1929, and Heffernan from 1926 until around 1930.