A Little Bit of Trivia about Presidential Portraits

• Did you know…that all the official Presidential portraits are painted in oils?
• Did you know…that (in modern times) until the president leaves office the official portrait is a photograph?
• Did you know…that the sitting president often displays the official portraits of presidents they admired throughout the White House?
• Did you know…that the official portrait of Kennedy was painted after his death and does not reflect his character but rather the mood surrounding his assassination?
• Did you know…that famous painter, John Singer Sargent, known for his painting of Madame X, was the official portrait painter of Theodore Roosevelt?
• Did you know…that the first presidential portrait, of George Washington, was painted by Gilbert Stuart?
• Did you know…that the first ladies also have official portraits painted (although not all of the early ones)?

Here are a few of my favorites:

John F. Kennedy by Aaron Shikler

Abraham Lincoln by George P.A. Healy

Theodore Roosevelt by John Singer Sargent

Harry Truman by Martha Greta Kempton

Jacqueline Kennedy by Aaron Shikler

Helen Taft by Bror Kronstrand

Dolley Madison by Gilbert Stuart

Lucy Hayes (couldn’t find the artist)

Here you can check out the entire official presidential portrait gallery and the entire official first lady portrait gallery. If you visit the National Portrait Gallery you can check them out in person.

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: The Lincoln Conspiracy by Timothy L. O'Brien & Giveaway

The Lincoln Conspiracy by Timothy L. O’Brien

ARC, E-book, 370 pages

Ballantine Books

September 18, 2012

★★★★☆

Genre: Historical fiction, thriller

Source: Received from Netgalley as part of HFVBT tour

“A nation shattered by its president's murder.

Two diaries that reveal the true scope of an American conspiracy.

A detective determined to bring the truth to light, no matter what it costs him.

From award-winning journalist Timothy L. O'Brien comes a gripping historical thriller that poses a provocative question: What if the plot to assassinate President Lincoln was wider and more sinister than we ever imagined?”

As many of you know I enjoy reading books about the United States Presidents and First Ladies, so when I saw the pitch for this one I was in. While Lincoln has been assassinated prior to the start of this book, we do get to interact with his wife, the widow Lincoln. We see her as a weeping widow, but I also felt that the author played into her “madness” a little excessively. We hear a lot about the late President through people who knew him well, such as Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, and others who frequented the White House so that he became a well-rounded character, despite being deceased.

The catalyst throughout the novel is these two diaries (I won’t reveal whose). Everyone wants to get their hands on these diaries (that supposedly no one knows about) for different ends. One group wants to expose a conspiracy, one wants to hide a conspiracy, and others was personal gains. This is a very fast paced read where from the very beginning we don’t stop to breathe throughout. While there is character development, it is done on the run, so to speak. I found myself easily getting to know Fiona and Temple McFadden and truly feeling their anxiety, horror, excitement, fear. This is very much the story of the adventure – reminiscent of the film National Treasure the way one clue leads to the next – however everything fit into its historical context.

One of the things that I loved was that you get a lot of history in this adventure story. We get insights into the Civil War and people who were on different sides. The tone he sets for the city of Washington felt real and palpable. We learn a little about the use of photography during the Civil War. I especially liked the inclusion of real historical characters with the fictional – among others we are introduced to: Dorothea Dix, Edwin Stanton, Matthew Brady, the Lincoln family, Sojourner Truth, and Mary and John Surratt. These characters were seamlessly interwoven into the narrative fabric.

There were two things that I did have an issue with. The first was that there was a little bit of revisionist history or alternative history. While it ultimately resolved itself to protect the real historical outcome, the way the outcome was achieved was different. It will be something quite obvious to anyone that reads to book, even if you only have limited historical knowledge of the period. I can’t say what it is or I will give away a huge plot thread. This was jarring for me while reading because everything else thus far had felt very true to the historical narrative. I also felt that the ending wrapped up a little too quickly. As the pages were dwindling I was trying to figure out how all of the threads would be wrapped up in time. It felt slightly rushed.

However, it appears that the author is going to be writing a series of historical thrillers set within the years following Lincoln’s death. I hope that Fiona and Temple McFadden continue to be our protagonists as they were quite enjoyable. I hope that you read this book for the fun of the adventure and story. If you are looking for something deep and profound, this isn’t your book, but for adventure within a believable historical setting, this is it.

This is author O’Brien’s first novel, but he has also written the non-fiction Trump Nation and Bad Bet. The Lincoln Conspiracy is the first book in a series of historical thrillers set in the years following the Lincoln assassination. You can visit the author’s website or blog for additional information about the book.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:
• Booking Mama
• Royal Reviews

You can follow along with the rest of the HF Virtual Book Tour for additional reviews, author guest posts, interviews, and giveaways. Also on Twitter with the following hashtag: #LincolnConspiracyTour

I have a giveaway of 1 copy of The Lincoln Conspiracy to offer for a reader in the USA. Please fill out the Rafflecopter below for entry. Last day to enter is November 17th. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway






Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Fashion of the First Ladies

One of the things that people think of when the topic of First Ladies is broached is the inaugural gowns. And who can blame them, some of them are quite beautiful? I have found some wonderful resources online regarding First Lady Fashion, so if you can’t make it to the museums you can check it out on the web.

Inaugural Gowns - Carter [L] and E. Roosevelt [R]

The Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington D.C. has had an exhibit on First Lady inaugural gowns for quite some time, but in recent years has added more substance to the exhibit beyond the beautiful fashions. Since 1912 they have been asking each First Lady to donate a dress that represents her, with Helen Taft being the first in that tradition. It is now a popular media event. 1964 was the first year that the Smithsonian held their public event where the First Lady attended the presentation – Mamie Eisenhower began this tradition. The short video below is one of the many documenting current First Lady, Michelle Obama, donating her Inaugural Gown to the Smithsonian.

To be sure, they have gowns and other fashion accessories from earlier First Ladies, all the way back to Martha Washington. There is some fashion accessory to represent each administration. Not every item represents a First Lady, but a person who acted as hostess (sometimes if there was not a living wife, a daughter or niece would take over the role). There are 24 gowns on display and 11 are inaugural gowns. You can see all of the gowns and accessories here.

Accessories - Monroe [L], E. Wilson [B], Cleveland [T]

As a general rule, the Smithsonian only displays one gown per First Lady, and it has tended to be the dress from the first inaugural ball if the President was in for 2 terms. The second dress is typically displayed at the individual President’s library. You can read more about the Tradition of the Gowns at the Smithsonian here.

Evening Gowns - Washington [L], Madison [C], Lincoln [R]

Another great place to check out First Lady fashion is at the National First Ladies’ Library in Canton, OH. There will be another post in the future about taking a tour of the museum so keep an eye out for that. The National First Ladies’ Library recently acquired miniatures of the First Ladies inaugural gowns. These were originally created as a promotional piece for the perfume White Shoulders and they were donated to the Museum. Here is a slideshow of the pieces.

The below video takes us behind the scenes at the Smithsonian as they prepared to put the dresses back out on display in 2010. There are some historical tidbits about the different dresses provided as well.

Hope you have enjoyed learning about the fashions of the First Ladies.





Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: Sarah Childress Polk by John R. Bumgarner

Sarah Childress Polk: A Biography of the Remarkable First Lady

by John R. Bumgarner

Paperback, 176 pages

Macfarland & Co Inc Pub

March 1997

Genre: Non-Fiction

Source: Personal Collection

“Historians generally consider James K. Polk one of the most effective presidents in United States history. Many of them doubt, however, that President Polk would have been successful without the counsel of his wife Sarah. The president dominated his cabinet and trusted no one--except for his wife.

Sarah Childress Polk (1803-1891) was a highly educated woman who became President Polk’s virtual secretary and more: She critiqued his speeches, evaluated his Cabinet decisions, and worked side by side with her husband. Mrs. Polk was praised for her astute views on matters of state by both Polk’s supporters and his opponents. She outlived her husband by 42 years, and was often consulted by politicians who respected her opinions and trusted her instincts, including Confederate and Union officers in the Civil War. This is the story of a powerful and tireless first lady who became one of the most influential Americans of the middle and late nineteenth century.”

I read this book with a dual purpose – one: I was researching for my Master’s research project on First Ladies and politics and two: I’m trying to read a non-fiction on each President and First Lady. This book only somewhat met my expectations.

It should be noted that the author of the book is a M.D. – not a PhD. His previous books were related to the health of the Presidents and he originally intended this book to be about the health of President James K. Polk, however he states he found Sarah Polk more interesting. I have no problems with him being a doctor – however a lot of time was spent on medical conditions on the Polks as well as the general populace – to the point that it became distracting. Nowhere in the above description is the medical focus alluded to.

While there was great information provided about Sarah Polk – who is little written about – I felt like less time was spent on her than on her husband, or various friends and cohorts, and the above mentioned medical diagnoses. For someone who really was a remarkable First Lady you don’t come away from the book feeling that.

Also, this book could have certainly benefited from better editing – and I’m not talking about spelling and grammar. The information really needed some fleshing out – it felt barebones in many places and could certainly have benefited from transitions between paragraphs and thoughts. There is one section that comes to mind where within three paragraphs we jumped from James Polk becoming Speaker of the House, to the issue of owning slaves, to letters from family (about various subjects), and then back to the main thread. It was very choppy and certainly drew my attention away from the main topic.

As I said previously – there is not a lot currently out there still in print about Sarah Childress Polk – this was the only one I could get my hands on even through the state library system. With those constraints, this book does provide great information if you can wade through the obstacles. If you were to only use this as a reference tool and pull information from it, it would probably be fine – however as a read it is certainly lacking.

John R. Bumgarner also has written The Health of the Presidents and Parade of the Dead.

2.5/3 out of 5 stars.

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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Ranking Sarah Childress Polk

A few weeks ago we looked at how Dolley Madison has been ranked among First Ladies of the United States – this week I would like to take a look at Sarah Childress Polk – the wife of the 11th President, James K. Polk. Unlike last time, I have very little information from the Siena Research Institute (SRI) on her behalf.

Sarah does not fall in the top 5 or the bottom of any of the individual categories: Background, Value to the Country, Intelligence, Courage, Accomplishments, Integrity, Leadership, Being Her Own Woman, Public Image, and Value to the President. But I would like to explore a few of these a little more based on some of my own research.

Sarah was one of the few pre 20th century First Ladies that received any sort of formal education. At her time (1845-1849) college was an unheard thing for almost all women – however she was educated. Sarah attended the Moravian Female Academy, Abercrombie School and Daniel Elam School. I would say that this should give her some credit in the Accomplishments category.

In the category of Value to the President I would have to say that she should have been very highly ranked. From the various articles that I have read about her and from the book Sarah Childress Polk by John R. Bumgarner it is fairly clear that James Polk relied on her immensely. She not only was his secretary but also screened correspondence, met with cabinet members and proofread his speeches among other things.

In terms of Public Image at the time she was very well respected and loved by the American public. She was one of the first women to be given franking privileges (free postage). After her tenure in the White House she was visited every year by the member of the Tennessee legislature on New Year’s Day. While she kept her political views and the aid she gave her husband very low key, she was very popular.

Researcher Robert P. Watson (who has written many works on the First Ladies) conducted his own poll, the Watson Presidential Scholar Poll in 1996-1997 and his results place Sarah number 6 in the Top Ten First Ladies. The SRI poll results are as follows:

Overall Score:
1982: 22nd
1993: 20th
2003: 10th
2008: 26th

I would be more willing to personally place her somewhere close to the 10th-15th position. I can see why she might be placed in the mid twenties – the presidential terms close to the Civil War are frequently overlooked by scholars and many don’t know much about Sarah – so in that regard I am surprised she is even in the twenties.





Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: First Family by Joseph J. Ellis

First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis

Unabridged, 11 hr. 31 min.

Random House Audio

Kimberly Farr (Narrator)

October 26, 2010

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Source: Downloaded audio from my local library

“The Pulitzer Prize–winning, best-selling author of Founding Brothersand His Excellency brings America’s preeminent first couple to life in a moving and illuminating narrative that sweeps through the American Revolution and the republic’s tenuous early years. 

John and Abigail Adams left an indelible and remarkably preserved portrait of their lives together in their personal correspondence: both Adamses were prolific letter writers (although John conceded that Abigail was clearly the more gifted of the two), and over the years they exchanged more than twelve hundred letters. Joseph J. Ellis distills this unprecedented and unsurpassed record to give us an account both intimate and panoramic; part biography, part political history, and part love story.”

If you are interested in the relationship between John and Abigail Adams this would be a great place to start. While the book does focus on the political atmosphere surrounding the Adams’ it always comes back to the family. Ellis uses many, many excerpts from John and Abigail’s letters to illustrate for us in vivid details their undying devotion to their family and to each other. We get to see how politically savvy Abigail was and how much of an advisor she was for John through her own words. These letters provided great insight into their lives from their own mouths without the need for interpretation.

This book definitely has a pro-Adams slant when it comes to looking at his presidency. Now he is often looked at as a somewhat ineffective president even though he had played a large role in the forming of the fledgling country. In his book, Ellis chooses to look at the Adams presidency from the perspective of the time in which he was living rather than from the present. This leaves the reader with a more positive viewpoint.

A great amount of time was spent on the intricacies of the Adams/Jefferson relationship. The author seems to portray Jefferson in more of a negative light than Adams. He even goes as far as discussing how Jefferson may have committed treasonous acts while Vice President. As I haven’t yet read his book on Jefferson I don’t know if this is a constant bias of if just in the situation of comparing the two men.

The one negative for me while reading this book was that the author seemed to beat the proverbial dead horse on the point of John and Abigail knowing that their letters and writings would be read by posterity and that they were posturing for history in their letters. This concept came up innumerable times – after the first two times I got it.

As I said before, this would be a great book for those who are looking for more on the relationship of the Adams family and to a lesser extent the politics. I plan on reading another book on John Adams to get more of the political, but I would certainly read more by this author.

4 out of 5 stars.

 

I don’t really have a lot to say about the narration here. It was well read but doesn't stand out remarkably in my head even a few days after completing the book. It might be better off to read this one in physical book form.

4 out of 5 stars for the audio.

Author Joseph J Ellis also has written Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, and His Excellency: George Washington among others. If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

Below is a video of the author discussing a little bit about his book:

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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Book Review: A Perfect Union by Catherine Allgor

A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor

Unabridged, 15 hr. 58 min.

Macmillan Audio

Anne Twomey (Narrator)

March 28, 2006

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Source: Downloaded audio from my local library

“When the roar of the Revolution had finally died down, a new generation of politicians was summoned to the Potomac to assemble the nation's capital. Into that unsteady atmosphere--which would soon enough erupt into another conflict with Britain--Dolley Madison arrived, alongside her husband, James. Within a few years, she had mastered both the social and political intricacies of the city, and by her death in 1849 was the most celebrated person in Washington. And yet, to most Americans, she's best known for saving a portrait from the burning White House.

Why did her contemporaries so admire a lady so little known today? In A Perfect Union, acclaimed historian Catherine Allgor reveals how Dolley manipulated the constraints of her gender to construct an American democratic ruling style and to achieve her husband's political goals. By emphasizing cooperation over coercion--building bridges instead of bunkers--she left us with not only an important story about our past but a model for a modern form of politics.”

First of all, I was drawn to this book because of my fascination with all things Dolley Madison. I was actually trying to find a biography that I had read about her years ago and stumbled across this one. Without knowing the title of that previous read, I think I enjoyed this one a little less and I will elaborate on the reasons further on. Like the blurb above states, most people today do not know that much about this amazing woman – more than the cursory of saving Washington’s portrait and serving ice cream in the White House. But she was so much more than that – really she was much of the power behind her husband’s presidency.

This book did do a great job of giving the reader a solid understanding of just how much of a political role Dolley had and how important she was not only to her husband’s presidency but that of Jefferson as well. You get a well rounded idea of who she was and why she was so well known.

I was also thrilled by the quantity of primary source documents and references that were peppered throughout the book. We are privy to many of her letters to her friends and sisters which provide not only a glimpse at the political but also the private life of this lady. You are able to feel very connected to her thoughts and feelings through these words.

But, there were also some aspects of this book that I thought could have been much better. First of all, there is a lot of repetition of phrases – and it’s not done to drive home a particular message – it is more like there needed a better job in the editing process. When these things are noticeable there is a something wrong. I kept thinking, “you already told me that!”. I also thought that there was a little bit too much time spent on the personal life of Thomas Jefferson. To some extent this is necessary as Dolley did a lot for Jefferson as well, but there came a point when I started thinking I was reading a Jefferson biography instead and lost sight of the subject of the book. I would also have liked a little bit more about James Madison – he just appears and then they are wed. He is someone who’s backstory would have fit well into the book and helped support more of Dolley’s story as well.

Overall this was a decent read, but I have read better – and I would recommend it if I could come up with the title!

3.5 out of 5 stars.

The narrator, Anne Twomey, did a decent job of narrating this non-fiction work. I never lost interest in the narrative and she was able to keep your attention – which can sometimes be difficult when listening to a biography. The sound of her voice leant itself to the subject – I could believe her to be Dolley as her personal letters were being read.

4 out of 5 stars for the audio.

Author Allgor also has written Parlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Government. You can listen to an excerpt of A Perfect Union at the publisher’s website.

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

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