NEW Episode: The White House 1600 Sessions Podcast "Jacqueline Kennedy: Restoring the White House"

White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin Goes Behind the Scenes of First Museum of American Decorative Arts

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today, "Jacqueline Kennedy: Restoring the White House." In the episode, Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, speaks in-depth with curator Elaine Rice Bachmann about First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's herculean task of revamping the interior of the White House.

"As First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy put into place the process and procedures that still govern and manage historic preservation, conservation and acquisition at the White House today, and most importantly, maintain that museum standard that she envisioned," said McLaurin.

Mrs. Kennedy worked with several collectors and designers, but it was her partnership with renowned collector Henry Francis du Pont that propelled her White House renovation forward. Winterthur, du Pont's home which he turned into the first Museum of American Decorative Arts in 1951, inspired Bachmann's latest exhibition. "Jacqueline Kennedy and H. F. du Pont: From Winterthur to the White House" uses artifacts and images to go behind-the-scenes of their collaboration which culminated in the First Lady giving a televised tour of the renovated White House in 1962.

"Mrs. Kennedy's tour was not just about interior design, but it was a lesson in American material culture. She taught us all about the importance and meaning behind decorating with objects that were associated with the history of the White House," said Bachmann.

The exhibition will be on display at Winterthur Museum and Gardens just outside Wilmington, Delaware through January 8, 2023.

Watch the full video of this podcast episode here.

To hear the full episode, visit https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-white-house-1600-sessions/jacqueline-kennedy-restoring-the-white-house.

The 1600 Sessions is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin. McLaurin is the host of "The White House 1600 Sessions," the Association's official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America's most iconic residence and highest office.

The White House Historical Association was founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to support her vision to restore and preserve the Executive Mansion and its legacy for generations to come. Mrs. Kennedy sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has contributed more than $100 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org.

SOURCE White House Historical Association