Talk:Oval Office

Possible inconsistencies in the table between pictures and descriptions.

Some of the pictures don't seem to align with the descriptions - e.g., Franklin D. Roosevelt: furnishing description reads "Green drapery, Green rug" but photo shows red draperies and rug; John F. Kennedy: it says "White drapery, Red rug" but photo shows different draperies and rug.

There might be more but these are two I noticed. Are these mistakes or was the office redecorated during these terms? If the latter, maybe that should be noted? I won't make edits as I'm not sure, but maybe someone with more expertise on this topic could take a look and make any changes if necessary (and check to see if there's more I didn't notice)? HistoricalAccountings (talk) 23:10, 20 January 2021 (UTC)

I've corrected the two inconsistencies you've mentioned. Jackie Kennedy did redecorate the office with White/Red furnishings at the time of his assassination, but given JFK never actually got to use them, it makes little sense to put that information in the main column; I've mentioned them in the notes. The info on FDR's was correct - his office was always furnished in green, but the colour image was poor quality making it "look" red. This has now been replaced.

This does raise a broader point, there are a few more descriptions are erroneous/misleading when combined with the attached images, mainly due to the quality of the images. For example, the Ford drapes are described in multiple sources as being "Pumpkin/Coral and light gold", yet the quality of the image makes them look (and they are erroneously described as being) Red and White. The images of FDRs / Truman's offices are also in black and white, making it difficult to distinguish colour.

Maybe a way of showing these colours in a clearer and more consistent manner could be beneficial? I don't know if this meets Wikipedia's MOS, but something like this could eliminate confusion?

President	Image	Designer	Furnishings		Artwork/Statues/Pictures	Notes	Ref
Gerald Ford 1974–1977				Pumpkin/Light Yellow drapery	George Washington by Charles Willson Peale The President's House, copy after William Henry Bartlett Eastport and Passamaquoddy Bay by Victor de Grailly City of Washington from Beyond the Navy Yard by George Cooke Benjamin Franklin by Charles Willson Peale Standing Lincoln by Adolph Alexander Weinman The Bronco Buster by Frederic Remington	President Ford first placed the Seymour tall-case clock in the Oval Office.
				Yellow/light-blue floral rug
				White painted walls
				Wilson desk
				2 yellow Queen Anne-style armchairs 2 yellow wing chairs 2 striped sofas Seymour tall-case clock Removed the brass sconces

Rstallard2 (talk) 11:25, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

@Rstallard2: Thank you. HistoricalAccountings (talk) 19:18, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Artwork

I just stumbled on this page by the NYT that lists every artwork displayed in the oval office going back to Kennedy.. With this list it makes me wonder if the "Taft oval office" section listing every thing in each redocorstion of the office should really be moved to a spereate page as it kind of takes over the page. Perhaps redecoration of the Oval Office so that this can be about the room and all that information can be retained but move to an article specifically about it.--Found5dollar (talk) 13:27, 9 May 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:

• Trumanovalofficereplica.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 03:39, 13 August 2021 (UTC)

President Woodrow Wilson by Charles H. Woodbury

Here's a 1951 photograph with Charles H. Woodbury's President Woodrow Wilson (1913) over the mantel in the Oval Office. I haven't been able to track down the current whereabouts of the portrait. == BoringHistoryGuy (talk) 21:14, 12 February 2022 (UTC)

Should "president's secretary" be wikified to Secretary_to_the_President_of_the_United_States#Personal_secretary_to_the_president?

Apokrif (talk) 06:47, 25 June 2023 (UTC)

Missing painting from Greuze

There were 2 paintings of Ben Franklin displayed in the Ford and Carter White Houses. One in which he is wearing glasses, created by Peale, only displayed in the Ford White House, and one by Greuze in which he is not wearing glasses, which is displayed in the Ford and Carter White House. according to a New York Times article (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/05/arts/design/oval-office-art.html), this painting is by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. I created an edit to display this. Sidd89 (talk) 01:44, 8 July 2025 (UTC)

Additional sourcing

https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/document/0018/81556668.pdf Sidd89 (talk) 01:51, 8 July 2025 (UTC)

1929 Fire

"It mimicked the shape of the Yellow Oval Room in the main residence, which was historically used for the President to receive guests. It was damaged in a 1929 fire but restored." This is somewhat confusing. It is not clear whether the 1929 fire took place in the original oval office built by Taft or in the yellow oval room in the residence. ~2026-38374-72 (talk) 23:58, 4 July 2026 (UTC)