A Brief History of the White House Kitchen

From Sub-par to Steel
When Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt arrived at the Executive Mansion in 1933, they and their housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt found the kitchen far below their standards. According to historian Lydia Barker Tederick's A Look at White House Kitchens, Nesbitt wrote, "Mrs. Roosevelt and I poked around, opening doors and expecting hinges to fall off and things to fly out. It was that sort of place." A substantial renovation funded by the New Deal Public Works Administration produced the largely stainless steel kitchen that welcomed Harry Truman to the presidential residence in 1945 (this photo was taken in 1948).

• Presidential First Dogs