In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt’s Family Found Yellow Walls ‘Obnoxious’

 In 1902, the hosting needs of President Theodore Roosevelt, who took office in 1901 after President William McKinley was assassinated, had outgrown the White House’s existing State Dining Room (shown here). And so plans were made to create a bigger State Dining Room in the famous East Room. This room would still be used for smaller gatherings, but it had to be renovated, and it especially had to be painted. According to an article on April 17, 1902, in the Boston Morning Herald, the family found the yellow color scheme “obnoxious.” Here is the new stately State Dining Room in 1904. Notice the moose head over the fireplace, presumably provided by the president, an avid hunter. Here is the same room in 1992, minus the moose. And again in 2010. It can seat up to 140 for dinners. Photos: White House Museum