“Few Ladies Ever Sit”: Examining Women’s Presence in the Madison White House Parlors

In 1809, Dolley Madison and architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe embarked on extensive efforts to transform the White House interiors into spaces ladened with significance. Throughout the first term of the Madison administration, thousands of Americans witnessed their work while attending weekly parlor gatherings. However, nearly all the materials they saw were burned by the British in 1814. Using correspondence, business ledgers, and the few surviving furnishings, historians have since sought to reconceptualize the Madison White House parlors and the messages that they conveyed. This study builds on such work by exploring the uniqueness of white women’s interactions with these interiors. A closer look reveals that at the parlor gatherings, white women took in material-based messages that played a significant role in their ability to negotiate their political and social standing in the new American republic.