The first work of art purchased for the White House was a full-length portrait of President George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1797. Thanks to its rescue by First Lady Dolley Madison, it is the only object that has remained in the White House collection since before the British torched the building during the War of 1812. This portrait is featured in Scala's new 4-fold edition, celebrating the White House collection of paintings and objects associated with the first president. Although Washington personally selected the site for the White House, hired the architect, and even specified the design, he was, ironically, the only president never to live there. He spent his two-term presidency in temporary residences in New York and Philadelphia, while the permanent President's House was constructed in the new City of Washington. John Adams was the first president to reside there in 1800. Today the President's House that Washington envisioned, but never inhabited, is one of the most famous buildings in the world. Published in cooperation with the White House Historical Association, this book is fully illustrated with images of fine and decorative arts objects related to George Washington and his presidency in the White House collection, including personal possessions, portraits, paintings, sculpture, documents, ephemera and commemorative objects - symbols not only of the man but of the new nation that revered him.
