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46 Artists for America's First Ladies

46 Artists for America’s First Ladies features 46 new works inspired by the lives of the women who have served as America’s First Ladies. These works of art are on display in the gallery on the third floor of the Central Library.

Compendiums

Cover of First ladies of the republ
Jeanne E
Abrams

America’s first First Ladies―Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, and Dolley Madison―had the challenging task of playing a pivotal role in defining the nature of the American presidency to a fledgling nation and to the world.

Cover of First women: the grace and
Kate Anderson
Brower

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an intimate, news-making look at the true modern power brokers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: the First Ladies, from Jackie Kennedy to Michelle Obama. Available to download: eBook

Cover of First ladies: from Martha
Betty Boyd
Caroli

Covering all forty-one women from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama and including the daughters, daughters-in-law, and sisters of presidents who sometimes served as First Ladies, Caroli explores each woman's background, marriage, and accomplishments and failures in office.

Cover of My dear President: letters
Gerard W
Gawalt

In this inspiring collection of correspondence between U.S. presidents and their wives are hundreds of unguarded moments of affection, strain, grief, and triumph, revealing as never before the private thoughts and working partnerships of our most public figures.

Cover of First ladies and American
Jill Abraham
Hummer

This book provides an up-close historical look at these fascinating women who survived the scrutiny of the White House, sometimes at great personal cost, while supporting their families and famous husbands—and sometimes changing history. Available to download: eBook

Cover of Hidden Power: presidential
Kati
Marton

An extraordinary work of history and original reporting that reveals the ways in which presidential marriages have affected the tone, character, and policies of twelve administrations, from Woodrow and Edith Wilson to George W. and Laura Bush.

1779-1878

Cover of A being so gentle: the fro
Patricia
Brady

The dramatic story--from adulterous beginning to tragic end--of the passionate relationship between Andrew Jackson and his wife Rachel.

Cover of James and Dolley Madison:
Bruce
Chadwick

Using newly uncovered troves of letters at the University of Virginia, Chadwick has been able to reconstruct the details of the Madisons' personal and political lives. Based on this archive, the author argues that our fourth president--the architect of the Constitution--owed much of his success to the political savvy of his wife.

Cover of Mrs. Lincoln: a life
Catherine
Clinton

Historian Catherine Clinton draws on important new research to illuminate the remarkable life of Mary Lincoln. Her story is inextricably tied with her husband's presidency, yet her life is an extraordinary chronicle on its own.

Cover of The Washingtons: George an
Flora
Fraser

A full-scale portrait of the marriage of the father and mother of our country--and of the struggle for independence that he led. Available to download: eBook

Cover of Lady first: the world of F
Amy S.
Greenberg

Sarah Polk’s life spanned nearly the entirety of the nineteenth-century. But her own legacy, which profoundly transformed the South, continues to endure. Comprehensive, nuanced, and brimming with invaluable insight, Lady First is a revelation of our twelfth First Lady’s complex but essential part in American feminism.

Cover of Dear Abigail: the intimate
Diane
Jacobs

Much has been written about the enduring marriage of President John Adams and his wife, Abigail. But few know of the equally strong bond Abigail shared with her sisters, Mary Cranch and Elizabeth Shaw Peabody, accomplished women in their own right. Available to download: eBook

Cover of Louisa: the extraordinary
Louisa
Thomas

An intimate portrait of a remarkable woman, a complicated marriage, and a pivotal historical moment, Louisa Thomas's biography is a masterful work from an elegant storyteller. Available to download: Audio

1879-1978

Cover of Nellie Taft: the unconvent
Carl Sferrazza
Anthony

From critically acclaimed presidential-family historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony comes the first biography of Helen Herron Taft, the unconventional wife of the twenty-seventh President of the United States who, in an era before Eleanor Roosevelt, was overt about her power and saw to it that her husband both aspired to, and won, the highest office in the land.

Cover of Pat Nixon: embattled first
Mary C
Brennan

This first scholarly biography of Thelma Ryan Nixon—the first biography in thirty-five years and the first to access her papers—goes further than any other book to show readers the real Pat Nixon.

Cover of The fabulous Bouvier siste
Sam Kashner and
Nancy Schoenberger

A poignant, evocative, and wonderfully gossipy account of the two sisters who represented style and class above all else—Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Cover of Edith and Woodrow: the Wil
Phyllis Lee
Levin

Revealing and meticulously researched, the story of Woodrow Wilson and his second wife focuses on the role she played in running the country in the wake of the president's debilitating stroke.

Cover of Betty Ford: first lady, wo
Lisa
McCubbin

Setting a precedent as First Lady, Betty Ford refused to be silenced by her critics as she publicly championed equal rights for women, and spoke out about issues that had previously been taboo—breast cancer, depression, abortion, and sexuality. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Cover of Eleanor
David
Michaelis

Prizewinning bestselling author David Michaelis presents a breakthrough portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt, America's longest-serving First Lady, an avatar of democracy whose ever-expanding agency as diplomat, activist, and humanitarian made her one of the world's most widely admired and influential women. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Cover of Eleanor in the village: El
Jan Jarboe
Russell

A vivid account of a critical chapter in the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, when she moved to New York's Greenwich Village, shed her high-born conformity, and became the progressive leader who pushed for change as America's First Lady.

Cover of Touched by the sun: my fri
Carly
Simon

A chance encounter at a summer party on Martha's Vineyard blossomed into an improbable but enduring friendship. Carly Simon and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis made an unlikely pair—Carly, a free and artistic spirit still reeling from her recent divorce, searching for meaning, new love, and an anchor; and Jackie, one of the most celebrated, meticulous, unknowable women in American history. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Cover of Lady Bird Johnson: hiding
Julia
Sweig

Where no presidential biographer has understood the full impact of Lady Bird Johnson’s work in the White House, Julia Sweig is the first to draw substantially on Lady Bird’s own voice in her White House diaries to place Claudia Alta "Lady Bird” Johnson center stage and to reveal a woman ahead of her time—and an accomplished politician in her own right. Available to download: eBook | Audio

1979-Present

Cover of Where the light enters: bu
Jill
Biden

This is the story of how Jill built a family—and a life—of her own. From the pranks she played to keep everyone laughing to the traditions she formed that would carry them through tragedy, hers is the spirited journey of a woman embracing many roles. Where the Light Enters is a candid, heartwarming glimpse into the creation of a beloved American family, and the life of a woman at its center. Available to download: eBook

Cover of Pearls of wisdom: little p
Barbara
Bush

First Lady Barbara Bush was famous for handing out advice. From friends and family to heads of state and Supreme Court justices, and certainly to her staff, her advice ranged from what to wear, what to say or not say, and how to live your life. Available to download: eBook

Cover of Spoken from the heart
Laura Welch
Bush

In a captivating and compelling voice that ranks with many of the greatest memoirists, Laura Bush tells the story of her unique path from dusty Midland, Texas, to the world stage as First Lady.

Cover of Living history
Hilary Rodham
Clinton

The U.S. senator from New York offers a thought-provoking, candid chronicle of her eight years as First Lady of the United States, looking back on her husband's two administrations, the challenges she faced during the period, the impeachment crisis, her own political work, and more.

Cover of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter:
E Stanly
Godbold, Jr

This dual biography of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, the thirty-ninth President of the United States and his wife, chronicles the unique political and business relationship of a couple who together rose from obscurity to national and international power.

Cover of The Art of Her Deal: the u
Mary
Jordan

The Art of Her Deal shows Melania's ascent from a modest life, tracing her journey from childhood under a communist dictator to her complicated relationship with Donald Trump. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Cover of Becoming
Michelle
Obama

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Cover of The Triumph of Nancy Reaga
Karen
Tumulty

From the AIDS epidemic to tensions with the Soviets and the war on drugs, this book shows how Nancy Reagan became one of the most influential First Ladies of the century. Available to download: eBook | Audio

Children's

Cover of A picture book of John and
David A Adler and
Michael S Adler

While John served in both Continental Congresses, Abigail managed their farm within earshot of cannon fire. She later advised her husband through amusing letters as he served as our first ambassador to Great Britain. And when John was elected America's first vice president and our second president, Abigail vowed to be his 'fellow Laborer'--and she steadfastly lived up to her promise.

Cover of Dolley Madison, the White
Alice B
Boynton

Many people know the story of Dolley Madison, one of the first First Ladies to live in the White House, and how she saved the famous painting of George Washington as the British attacked and burned Washington, D. C. But few know what happened next. With the U.S. soldiers in retreat and Dolley fleeing, what drove the British soldiers out of the city they were intent on destroying? Was it really a tornado? Or was it something else?

Cover of A kid’s guide to America
Kathleen
Krull

Find out what our country's First Ladies thought, did, and advocated for as they moved into the White House. Packed with anecdotes and sidebars, a timeline of the advancement of women's rights, and illustrations and portraits.

Cover of Hillary Rodham Clinton: so
Michelle
Markel

A picture-book "portrait of Hillary Rodham Clinton, a girl who fought to make a difference--and paved the way for women everywhere

Cover of Lady Bird Johnson, That’
Tracy Nelson
Maurer

A lively picture book biography of Lady Bird Johnson, with a focus on her environmentalist passion and legacy as First Lady