Completed in 1829, during the first year of Jackson’s administration, the East Room is shown here in about 1836, having served as old Hickory’s stage for his two terms. It was a rich ensemble of glass, mahogany, and silk; the walls were papered in lemon yellow, and twenty-two spittoons served the national habit of the time. Reception crowds, alerted by the Marine Band’s marching strains, rushed to see Andrew Jackson enter through the tall arch to the left, and pause for a thrilling moment. Wrapped in his blue cape, the greatest American hero since Washington posed beneath the halo of gold stars and sun rays that his aides had pasted on the wallpaper above him.
The White House was first opened to the public in 1801 by Jefferson, and by Jackson’s time the East Room was the main interior shown to visitors. The East Room’s attractions increased notably late in Jackson’s administration when the