Presidential Pets

America’s relationship with animals has changed from the time George Washington kept 30 foxhounds for hunting at Mount Vernon in the 18th century to Bill Clinton’s embrace of a First Cat in the 20th. The exhibition Presidential Pets will look at the non-human occupants of the White House over the past 200 years, including President James Buchanan’s dog Lara, considered by some to be the first celebrity pet in the Executive Mansion; the menagerie kept by Theodore Roosevelt; and the ill-fated Kennedy hamsters Debbie and Billy. Mirroring the evolution of companion animals in America, these dogs, horses, cats, birds, rodents and reptiles also reflect changing ideas of childhood and nature, vogues in fashion, and conscious political image making.