Christmas at the White House, the Red Room (559 Piece Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle)

Christmas at the White House, the Red Room (559 Piece Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle)

$139.95
Christmas trees have not had a place in the White House for as long as you might imagine. For most...
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  • Categories: 20th Century, 21st Century, 500+ Pieces, Christmas, Contemporary, Level 3, New Arrivals, Puzzles For Her, Puzzles For Him, Victorian, Winter
  • Type: 500+ Piece Puzzle
Christmas trees have not had a place in the White House for as long as you might imagine. For most of the 19th century, the first families decorated the President's residence with low-key greenery—simple wreaths, garlands, and ornaments. The first Christmas tree was brought into the White House in 1889 during Benjamin Harrison's administration. It was decorated with candles, toys, and decorations to delight his grandchildren. 

First Lady Lou Henry Hoover was the first to decorate an "official" White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room in 1929. Ever since, each of the first ladies has carried on the tradition. Every year the Blue Room is home to the public tree, with the Tiffany chandelier removed at the holidays to house the most enormous tree possible.

The Red Room has always had an unofficial, more family-oriented tree. It is typically decorated with cranberries, a tradition started by Betty Ford in 1975. This year, the room also houses hundreds of matching orchids as they are the first lady's favorite flower.

The Red Room traditionally served as a parlor, sitting room, and private dining room. Sunday evenings were popular for family gatherings. President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln frequently used the space for informal entertainment. In addition, the Madisons, Lincolns, Grants, and Kennedys used the Red Room as a music room. Guitar, piano, and music stands were kept in the room. Today a music stand beside the fireplace recalls that earlier use of the room.

Yellow dominated the color scheme until 1845. A portrait of George Washington originally hung there, providing the colloquial name the "Washington Parlor." President James K. Polk and First Lady Sarah Polk furnished the room with rocking chairs, ottomans, armchairs, and lounges in various colors of red and green. Soon the "Washington Parlor" became the "Red Room."

In 1882, President Chester Arthur commissioned Louis Comfort Tiffany to redecorate the Red Room. The walls were painted Pompeiian red with a richly decorated tawny red frieze of abstract stars. 

With Theodore Roosevelt's major State Room renovations of 1902, snowy white neoclassical woodwork was added. He also moved a striking white marble mantle from the State Dining Room, purchased during the Monroe administration, into the Red Room. 

Now the walls are covered by a red twill satin fabric with a gold scroll design on the border. The furniture is upholstered in silk of the same shade of red. The beige, red, and gold carpet reproduces an early nineteenth-century French Savonnerie carpet in the White House Collection. 
The perfect gift for wooden jigsaw puzzlers, White House enthusiasts, and Christmas fans. This traditional adult wooden jigsaw puzzle can be done time and again. Our wooden jigsaw puzzle artists have included many shaped, whimsy wooden jigsaw puzzle pieces that match the theme of the image. We have integrated them in ways that will delight and surprise you as you put the wooden jigsaw puzzle together.
  • Includes a Bonus Poster to Guide Assembly
  • Number of Puzzle Pieces: 559
  • Completed Puzzle Size: 15.5" X 13.5"
  • Artist: © Thomas McKnight
  • Serial #: NP22-559-547
  • Wood Thickness: 4mm
  • Cut Style: Victorian
  • Difficulty: Level 3
  • Made in the USA
  • Christmas Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle