By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present

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Go directly to the collection, By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present, in American Memory, or view a Summary of Resources related to the collection.

1) News Writing: Society Page Report

The President's wedding. Marriage of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom. [1886]

Search on Cleveland for this image of the wedding of President Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom.

2) Journal: A Child's View of the White House

Suggest that students find out about one of the children who lived in the White House and write a journal account from the child's point of view. They might choose Thomas "Tad" Lincoln, one of Theodore and Edith Roosevelt's children, or Amy Carter.

A photograph of the President and Thomas (Tad) made by Mathew B. Brady. [February 9, 1864]

Search on Thomas Lincoln for this photograph of the young Thomas with his father, President Abraham Lincoln.

3) Dramatic Dialogue

Have students choose one of the images showing a president with another person and write a conversation the two might be having. They might use images of Abraham Lincoln with Sojourner Truth, the assassin approaching President McKinley, or Woodrow Wilson and Edith Galt Wilson on their way to his second inauguration.

4) Interview: A First Lady's View

Invite pairs of students to pick one of the first ladies to research. Remind students to find details in their research that give a clear picture of the period. If they choose a first lady from earlier U.S. history, students might read some literature of the time to learn about the role of women in politics of the day. Students might investigate visitors to the White House, names of first family children and pets, and political or social causes adopted by the first lady. Have students write and role play interview questions and answers with the first lady. One student can be the First Lady and another can interview her.

Search on Martha Washington and Hillary Rodham Clinton for these portraits.

Martha Washington. [c1864]

Mrs. Bill Clinton. [1992]

5) Literary Theme: Leadership

The collection lends itself to the literary theme of leadership. Students might consider this quote from the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare:

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

Ask students to consider which presidents exemplify each part of this statement.