Evening star., 1961-04-10
BY VILLA POE WILSON
Contributing Writer

ventionS in Washington this
spring, have a special inter-
est in the rearrangement Of
the portraits of First Ladies
In the White House.
A number of these por-
traits were presented by the
organizations. and there are
usually a number of direct or
collateral descendants of
Presidents and Presidents
wives among the delegates.
The more than 5000 dele
gates of the 10th Continental
Congress of the Daughters Of
the American Revolution to
be held in Constitution Hall
the middle of April will as
always be anxious to view the
portrait of the first President
General, Caroline Scott Har-
rison, wife of President Ben
jamin Harrison. 1t was pre-
sented to the White House in
1894 by the OAR. This por-
trait painted by Daniel
Huntington shows Mrs. Har-
rison in the blue velvet dress
which she wore at the first
tea at the White House for
the OAR. A copy of this
portrait by Matilde Leisen-
ring, famous Washington
artist, was placed in the
President Generals reception
room when Constitution Hall
was completed.
The Andrews Portrait
The OAR. also takes some
what of a proprietary inter-
est in the portrait of Martha
Washington painted by
Eliphalet Andrews in 1878.
Mr.. Andrews made a copy for
the OAR in 1905. It was pre-
Sented by his daughter Mary
Lord Andrews in 1909, and
now hangs in the OAR. Mu-
scum.
The first Mrs. Andrews
posed in the gown which was
worn in the pageant depict
ing the founding Of the Ma
ton at the Philadelphia Gen.
tennial in 1876. 1t is said that
some Of the lace on the gown
had been worn by Martha
Washington. The facial like
ness in the portrait of the
First Lady was inspired by
the Gilbert Stuart portrait
Of Martha Washington in the
Boston Museum.
Visits to the White House
by Girl Scout troops from all
over the country have as one
Of their main objectiveS the
chance to see the portrait Of
Mrs. Herbert Hoover who was
the national president Of the
Girl Scouts at the same time
she was mistress Of the White
House. The first portrait Of
Mrs. Hoover by Lydia Field
Emmett was not finished
during the Hoover admins
tration so it was hung in
the National Board Room Of
the Girl Scouts in New York.
The Girl Scouts were re-
luctant to relinquish the por-
trait to the White House, so
former President Hoover pre-
sented the portrait painted
In the White House by Phil
lip A. De Laszlo in its stead
In the name Of the Girl
Scouts Of America.
Mrs. Hoover was a very
busy oman, so while
De Laszlo was painting her
portrait. she induced her
friend, Mrs. Gertrude L.
Bowman, "a Girl Scout leader
Of the era, now with the Re-
publican National Commit
tee1, to wear her black velvet
dress and her rare pearl and
platinum necklace and pose
for the figure in the high
backed chair with the deep
red cushion.
OF Mrs. Coolidge
Members of Pi Beta Phi
college fraternity take great
pride in the fact that the
portrait Of one of their most
distinguished members Mrs.
Calvin Coolidge by Howard
Chandler Christy has been
selected by Mrs. Kennedy
for the Red room. Mrs.
Coolidge posed for the por-
trait commissioned by Pi
Beta PhD in the red velvet
dress she wore at the first
diplomatic dinner of the
Coolidge administration. The
portrait was presented to the
White House at a gala ses-
sion Of the Pi Beta Phi ma