January 2023 Autographs & Memorabilia Auction - Closes Saturday, Feb. 4th

Lot #1047:

Theodore Roosevelt White House Loveseat Swatch (CAG Encapsulated)

Green fabric swatch, .75” x 1.5,” excised from a length of green silk brocade once covering a White House loveseat, likely a remnant from renovations undertaken by 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902, and removed under the direction of First Lady Mamie Eisenhower (1896-1979) in 1954. Encapsulated by CAG to an overall size of 2.25” x 3.25.” This piece of fabric was once part of a larger fragment decorated with stylized acanthus leaves which measured approximately 21" x 42."

In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt embarked on an extensive remodeling of the "People's House." Plans had been in the works for years to build a new White House or expand the original. TR wanted to remove the Victorian decor which had accumulated over the previous thirty years in order to return the White House to its Federal-style roots.