The desk was first used in the Oval Office during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. When President Lyndon B. Johnson selected another desk for the Oval Office, the Resolute Desk became part of a traveling exhibition and then went on to the Smithsonian, where it was displayed from 1966 to 1977.

In January 1977, President Jimmy Carter requested that this historic desk be returned to the White House for use again in the Oval Office. In 1981, President Ronald W. Reagan also chose to use this desk in the Oval Office.

Wyeth modeled the new president's office after the White House's most famous oval-shaped room—the Blue Room. Before moving to the President's House in Philadelphia in late 1790, George Washington ordered that the straight rear walls of …

Since 1965, the White House Historical Association has been proud to fund the official portraits of our presidents and first ladies, a long-standing tradition of the White House Collection. Recent presidents and first ladies typically select their respective artists before leaving the White House and approve the portraits before their formal ...

Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament. These unique collectibles — honoring individual presidents or specific White House anniversaries — have become part of the holiday tradition for millions of American families.

Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament. These unique collectibles — honoring individual presidents or specific White House anniversaries — have become part of the holiday tradition for millions of American families.

This photograph of the Oval Office by Bruce White was taken in 2010 during the Barack Obama administration. President Obama used the Resolute desk, popular among modern presidents, and displayed a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Augustus Saint-Gauden's bust of President Abraham Lincoln.

Every year since 1981, the White House Historical Association has had the privilege of designing the Official White House Christmas Ornament. These unique collectibles — honoring individual presidents or specific White House anniversaries — have become part of the holiday tradition for millions of American families.

The Oval Office during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. After Roosevelt expanded the West Wing, the Oval Office overlooked the Rose Garden and contained a porch. In this photograph the president's desk has been moved away from the window, possible a security measure during World War II.

Sep 22, 2023 · William G. Allman to Shaun Rogers, February 17, 1995, copy in Office of the Curator, The White House. “Artifact Highlight: FDR’s Oval Office Desk,” Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, May 27, 2020, https://fdr.blogs.archives.gov.... Correspondence with FDR library archivists, August 2023.