The Blue Room, circa 1870

Picture of the Blue Room, circa 1870

In the Blue Room of the early 1870's, decorated by President Andrew Johnson's daughter Martha Johnson Patterson, geometrical forms accent the contour of Hoban's "elliptic saloon". The rococo-revival furniture dates from the Buchanan Administration. Mrs. Patterson chose the blue paper with panels bordered in black and gold. On New Year's Day, 1867, when the refurbished parlor first went on show at the traditional public levee, the weather was "most inclement"; muslin covers protected the velvet carpets.



History: Blue Room of 1897 | What's Happening Now

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