The Teddyfication of the White House
Subject(s): Face, House furnishings, Interior decoration, Presidents--Transition periods, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Surprise, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, White House (Washington, D.C.)
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William H. Taft stands in a large room at the White House looking shocked. All the furnishings, from animal skin rugs to lamp shades, andirons to woodcarvings and the faces in paintings, wall trim and moldings to embroidered chairs, show the countenance of Theodore Roosevelt.
Comments and Context
The Executive Mansion (first formally called the White House under President Roosevelt) underwent many expansions and renovations through the years, especially after invading British troops burned it during the War of 1812. Major alterations were ordered by Roosevelt shortly after he assumed the presidency. Modernizations included the trappings of Victorian furnishing and decoration of that era, especially ordered by Chester A. Arthur; and expansion was designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, as the West Wing.
Such were physical changes, but psychological changes were easier to depict in the hands of a cartoonist. Cartoonist Albert Levering of Puck, in one of the most detailed drawings it ever published, imagined a White House interior characterized not by design suggestions of incoming President William H. Taft’s predecessor; but indeed a ballroom inhabited by the very spirit and personality of Roosevelt.
Levering humorously festooned the distinctive face of Roosevelt on every possible element of furnishings, decorations, and woodwork.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1909-02-24
Creator(s)
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The Teddyfication of the White House. [February 24, 1909]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291110. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Levering, Albert, 1869-1929. The Teddyfication of the White House. [24 Feb. 1909]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291110.
APA:
Levering, Albert, 1869-1929., [1909, February 24]. The Teddyfication of the White House.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o291110.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
