First Ladies

Who are the First Ladies of the United States, and what is their role? In an insightful book, authors Anita and Giovanna McBride explore this complex question, revealing that there are many answers. While there is no official guidebook for the position, First Ladies have dedicated themselves to making a positive impact on the world for over two hundred years. First Ladies Make History is the first book of its kind, going beyond the usual focus on fashion and social duties to highlight the significant contributions these women have made to American society and culture throughout history.

The White House Historical Association hosted a book launch for the mother daughter team. The book takes readers beyond the typical fashion and hospitality topics associated with first ladies to the important contributions they have made to society throughout American History.

“The children’s series is a relatively new phenomenon.,” Anita McBride told Hollywood on the Potomac. “This is the first one about First Ladies so we feel we’re filling a gap. We struck a balance on First Ladies depicted from various eras over our history, and then also the bipartisan nature – Republican and Democrat.”

Some fun facts: from Giovanna:  “Pat Nixon was the first to light the White House exterior at night. Dolley Madison was the first to attend an Inaugural Ball. Ellen Wilson was a professional artist and had a studio in the White House. Louisa Adams was a musician. Michelle Obama was the first first lady to use social media in the White House. Julia Tyler was a composer and established the tradition of playing “Hail to the Chief ” when the president arrived at an event.”

“The big challenge is how do you do First Ladies when you’ve never met any of them. The answer is you get a lot of photographs, a lot of portraits and you work from those. You try to get a sense of what they looked like. You get to try a sense of what they feel like.”

— John Hutton, Illustrator

Read more here.