Had to do a lot of research on the historic aspects of the White House..
I found this video on You Tube of John Adams, the HBO mini series to be quite helpful but was dismayed to see the mess they made of the land while building the house.Too many trees taken down and no effort to stay tidy. Call me a fussy farmer.
The interior of the White House is shown as a dismal, dark, and smoky place...I just cannot believe they allowed smoke to stream into the rooms not up the chimneys...were they really that ignorant?
I think the interior was shown this way for it's effect on us the audience, though to get the point across that the White House was not grand nor beautiful, just a big ugly box in the beginning...maybe it's good the British burnt it so we could start over.
Some facts which I did find out from my reading was that the grand East Room was unfinished and unfurnished and Abgail Adams did hang her laundry in it and slaves did provide much of the brute labor for the building of the White House. Scotsmen provided the masonry work and fitting of the stone work.
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Really interesting! It doesn't look anything like that now, LOL! I grew up just outside of Washngton D.C. and visited the White House several times. I read a book with the letters that Abigail and John wrote to each other - really eye-opening. They hated Benjamin Franklin and got in a big fight with their friend Thomas Jefferson. But the fight was finally forgiven after the death of Jefferson's daughter. In the end Adams and Jefferson died on the same day. Can't wait to see your illustrations.
Mary, That's interesting! I think they even show the differing viewpoints and altercation between Franklin and Adams in the HBO film. It is at the library got to go check it out. You are lucky to have been inside as I never did the tour although I wanted to very much on all our family trips...somehow the Smithsonian got our full attention instead.
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