The White House Gift Shop Est. 1946

The Blue Room White House Ornament
Designer Notes: A. F. Giannini

The Blue Room White House Ornament (2010) was the first ornament and ornamental artwork I created for The White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946, at a time when my role was still purely charitable and advisory. Serving as Strategic Advisor, Principal Philanthropist, and Executive Director–Chief Artist–Historian to the U.S. Secret Service Fund and the Gift Shop’s Board and Intelligence Strategist to Governement entities.

I wanted this inaugural piece to honor not myself, but the quiet continuity of the American presidency and the families who briefly call the White House home. I chose the Blue Room because it has long been the ceremonial heart of the State Floor: an oval parlor where presidents and first ladies receive guests, where James Monroe greeted tribal leaders of the Great Plains in 1822, and where President Rutherford B. Hayes accepted the first Chinese minister to the United States. In our era, it is also the room where the official White House Christmas Tree, known historically as the Blue Room Christmas Tree, rises each year beneath the chandeliers, carrying themes chosen by the First Lady since 1961.

This 2010 ornament captures the view from the North Cross Hall into the Blue Room: the Official White House Christmas Tree, the President’s flag to the right, the American flag to the left, and the Seal of the President of the United States presiding above the doorway. The tree itself echoes the 18.5-foot Douglas firs brought on horse-drawn carriage to the North Portico, selected through national competition and presented to the First Lady as a living gift of the American landscape. For me, this ornament quietly marks the beginning of a journey from outside supporter to steward and working artist of the Gift Shop’s legacy, one more small chapter in the evolving story of a room, a tree, and a house that belongs to the American people.

History / Insider Backstory:

This Blue Room ornament is the first piece ever designed by artist–historian A. F. Giannini for The White House Gift Shop, Est. 1946 (2010). It inaugurates a new era of in-house, artist-led design at the Gift Shop while paying homage to the longstanding tradition of the official White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room.