Washington: the White House

Max Pollak

Before settling permanently in Northern California in 1938 Max and Freidl Pollak traveled across the United States and Max chronicled their journey in a number of color aquatints of New York, Washington, DC, Detroit, Michigan, and Cincinatti, Ohio.

While in Washington DC Pollak did this portrait of the official home of the president of his new country. This southern facade view of the White House was done using drypoint and aquatint with the color applied a la poupée around 1930. At this point in our history chain link fences and barriers were not needed and the artist could set up without any obstruction.

The White House was first occupied by John Adams in 1800. In 1814 the British set it on fire during the War of 1812 and it had to be rebuilt. Of the numerous objects taken from the White House when it was ransacked by British troops, only two have been recovered.

It was rebuilt by 1817. The south portico was constructed in 1824 during the James Monroe administration; the north portico was built six years later. Over the ensuing years presidents have remodeled and made extensions to the building. It was reconstructed by Harry Truman between 1949 and 51 with many modern additions.

Another extensive and historic redecoration was done by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy after JFK's administration had the building declared a museum, hopefully preventing looting of the objects through theft or sale (which had happened numerous times previously).

Statistics found on-line indicate that the White House now includes six stories and 55,000 ft of floor space, 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, twenty-eight fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater (officially called the White House Family Theater), a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green. It receives up to 30,000 visitors each week.