About the project

Dogs, cats, horses, goats, birds, rodents, and reptiles have called The White House home. Through objects, photos, letters, recordings, film, and interactive display, this temporary exhibit looks at some of these animals and their presidential owners over the course of two and a half centuries, when pets took on roles as workers, companions, trend setters, and political tools.  Animals brought to the White House have reflected American society’s broader relationships with its pets and how animals have been treated, relied upon, and loved.

 Some of the non-human occupants of the White House featured are:

• Rebecca, a raccoon sent by a supporter to the Coolidge White House for the president's Thanksgiving dinner who became a pet instead

• Laddie Boy, an airedale belonging to Warren G. Harding whose birthday parties were Washington social events

• Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fala, a witness to history who attended the Atlantic Charter conference, and whose popularity later helped FDR to an unprecedented fourth term as president

• Algonquin, the pony who rode the elevator in Theodore Roosevelt's White House

 SFD supported the JFK Library and Museum in presenting this playful side of the Presidential office, sometimes revealing a warmth that comes with the love of a pet that we may not have seen otherwise.

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CLIENT

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
and Museum

National Archives and Records Administration

PROJECT LOCATION

Boston, Massachusetts

SERVICES PROVIDED

• Exhibit planning

• All phases of exhibition design

PROJECT PARTNERS

• Lighting Design:
  Streamlight Design