The White House
Photograph in White House Wood Frame, 1948

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The White House
Detail Detail of picture in frame
Abbie Rowe (1905-1967) (photographer)
The White House
Washington, D.C.: May 1948
Photograph, matted, in pine frame from White House timbers
Signed lower right on mat: Photo by Abbie Rowe NPS May, 1948
10 x 13 inches, photograph
16 x 19 inches, frame
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

A rare historical official government photograph landscape view of the White House by Abbie Rowe, mounted, as issued, in a relic frame made from White House pine, with handwritten authentication on the mat. Abbie Rowe was a National Park Service photographer who meticulously documented the renovations while assigned to the White House during the Truman Administration. This fine photograph is framed in wooden timbers taken from the White House during those renovations.

The White House suffered considerable damage during the War of 1812, and by the early 20th century, major structural restoration of the building became necessary. Some reconstruction took place in 1902 and 1927, but when Harry S. Truman moved in, in 1948, he ordered engineering reports which revealed serious structural problems. From 1948 to 1952, major renovations were undertaken to correct them. As in previous renovations, 19th-century "White House wood" was salvaged to make historical souvenirs from picture frames to gavels.

Abbie Rowe was a photographer for the National Park Service (NPS) in Washington D.C. Rowe began government service as a photographer in 1930, documenting buildings and roads, and was assigned to the White House in 1941. There he had unprecedented access to the official activities of five Presidents from Roosevelt in 1941 through Johnson in 1967. His legacy includes a valuable record of historical events in the public domain. However, unique among White House photographers, he also documented the architecture of the capital, especially the renovation of the White House from 1948 to 1952 during the Truman Administration. Rowe chronicled this major architectural and engineering challenge in hundreds of detailed black-and-white photographs. These photographs were exhibited at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library from June 15, 2001 to April 30, 2002.

Signed on mat lower right: "Photo by Abbie Rowe NPS May, 1948."

Inscribed in hand lower center: "The Pine Frame was made from Roof Timbers that were in the White House circa 1817 to 1927."

References:

"Abbie Rowe Collection." Truman Presidential Museum & Library. 2001. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/abierowe/abierowe.htm (19 February 2003).

"The White House Revealed: Photos of the White House Renovation by Abbie Rowe." Truman Presidential Museum & Library. 2001. http://www.trumanlibrary.org/abierowe/whitehse.htm (19 February 2003).