White Feathers and Velvet Ropes: When New Year’s Meant Everyone at the White House
In early Washington, New Year’s Day wasn’t just a holiday—it was an open invitation to the President’s home. From John Adams through Herbert Hoover, anyone willing to brave the January chill could join the White House receiving line, a rare blend of democracy and grandeur. In 1818, Mary Cushing Ashmun described the half-rebuilt “American Palace” with its crimson wallpaper and dazzling chandeliers, still bearing scars from the War of 1812. First Lady Elizabeth Monroe, dressed in white silk and crowned with three white feathers, set a new, more reserved tone for social gatherings, quietly shifting away from the lively parties of her predecessor, Dolley Madison. These drawing rooms became a stage for political influence and social rivalry, where fashion signaled status and access. Even as traditions evolved, the White House remained a mirror for the nation’s changing ideas about openness, power, and celebration—a place where velvet ropes and white feathers could say as much as any speech.
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