Obama's Oval Office
Every President brings his own unique touch to the Oval Office, changing statues and paintings as he sees fit. Only one item, the desk, has remained fairly constant. With the exception of Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and the senior Bush, every President since Rutherford B. Hayes has used the Resolute desk, made from the timbers of the H.M.S. Resolute.
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Artifact
Among the items on display in Obama's Oval Office is this gift from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, crafted from wood from the H.M.S. Gannet, sister ship to the Resolute.
Inspiring
A bust of Martin Luther King Jr., by African-American sculptor Charles Alston, replaced one of Winston Churchill that was scheduled to be returned to Britain.
American Greats
Along one wall, Norman Rockwell's painting Statue of Liberty hangs above Frederic Remington's sculpture The Bronco Buster.
The 16th President
This bust of Lincoln, by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, has been part of the White House collection since 1975.
Juxtaposed
Obama's bookshelf features both natural and technical objects. Two pieces of pottery by contemporary Native American sculptors stand on one shelf, while patent models occupy the top and bottom shelves. On the top shelf lies Henry Williams' 1877 patent model for his feathering paddle-wheel for steamboats; the bottom shelf holds John A. Peer's 1874 patent model for a gear-cutting machine.
Piece of History
A framed program from the 1963 March on Washington, which culminated in Martin Luther King Jr.'s famed "I Have a Dream" speech, holds a place of prominence in the Obama Oval Office.
Snapshots
Portraits of Obama's family take up the entire table behind his chair.
SOURCE: TIME Magazine
