Obama's Oval Office gets history makeover

Given the plight of so many unemployed Americans, President Obama did not want to spend a lot of money on a lavish redecoration of the Oval Office.

But he did want to make it his own. So Obama asked California decorator Michael Smith to work with him to change the look of the Oval Office to better reflect his interests.

Now, the Associated Press has had a tour of the makeover. The changes are striking.

Obama opted to keep the Resolute desk that was a gift in 1880 from Queen Victoria, built from the timbers of the British ship Resolute and used by every president since Rutherford B. Hayes, except Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. And George Washington is still there, at least the likeness painted by Rembrandt Peale, as is the Frederic Remington sculpture "The Bronco Buster."

With history at his back, Obama has a framed program from the 1963 March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. A bust of King replaced the one of Winston Churchill, returned to the British in what the White House insists, despite some offended sensibilities abroad, was a planned rotation.

Obama apparently has a passion for contemporary Native American art -- four pieces of pottery are now on loan from the National Museum of the American Indian. And it turns out he has a fascination with invention -- three mechanical devices are on the bookshelves, on loan from the National Museum of American History's patent collection: models for Samuel Morse's 1849 telegraph register, John Peer's 1874 gear-cutting machine and Henry Williams' 1877 feathering paddle wheel for steamboats.

In keeping with First Lady Michelle Obama's interest in healthy eating, a bowl of fresh apples sits on the coffee table, though the president apparently keeps a stash of M&Ms for visiting kids (of all ages?).

Gone are President Bush's Texas landscapes. In their place: more traditional Oval Office paintings including Frederick Childe Hassam's "The Avenue in the Rain," an Impressionist view of New York's flag-bedecked Fifth Avenue, and Norman Rockwell's colorful "Statue of Liberty."

Also gone: the decorative plates in Bush's Oval Office. Obama said plates just weren't his style.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Susan Walsh / Associated Press

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Comments

[JOAN]

THIS ALL MAKES ME SICK. SOME OF AMERICA HAS BEEN FOOLED BY THIS MAN WHO IS OBVIOUSLY A SOCIALIST INDONESIAN AND UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO THE GREED OF OUR P0LITICANS, HE IS WINNING AT PRESENT TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY. WITH LOTS OF PRAYERS AND AMERICANS VOTING ON AN HONEST PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT IN THE FUTURE OR AT LEAST BOTH PARTIES IN OFFICE, WE WILL SURVIVE.

[Laurs1]

I sure wish I cared about Obama's Oval Office decorating; but I am far more concerned about his dismantling of the country.

[realitybitesback]

Is anyone ever going to tell Obama that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, and that the Republican Party was the party of the Abolitionists? Does Obama know that his Democrats were the party of the slave owner? Does Obama know that Democrats founded the Ku Klux Klan, and used the KKK for acts of domestic terrorism against blacks and Republicans? Does Obama know that his own Democrats voted 209 times AGAINST anti-lynching legislation? For such an allegedly huge intellect, this man sure is ignorant.

[Elle Baldwin]

The economic crisis sure doesn't stop him from flying ALL OVER THE FREAKIN WORD, accomplishing ZERO... not to mention a two - week vacation at $4,000 a night.

This is disgusting.

[Debra]

It makes me ill. I echo the comments of the first poster, Joan and Laura. He is destroying the country and all the LA times can write about is his oval office decorations. Gag.

[Bunker]

Democrats have worked very hard to hide the fact that it is they who are the party of racial and ethnic hate (and were the ones opposing the civil rights act). I hear more race baiting garbage coming from democrats than I've ever heard from Republicans.

[Jen06]

Given the plight of so many unemployed Americans, President Obama did not want to spend a lot of money on a lavish redecoration of the Oval Office.

Instead he has opted to fly to exotic places such as Copenhagen for 4 hours, spend $4000 a night for two weeks vacation, bring a virtual standstill to NYC to go to dinner, and how many parties has the WH hosted this year? Oh, and has been in perpetual campaign mode flying to all parts of the country for a short presidential propaganda speech.

[Anushka de Letón]

Wow, I am impressed with the first two comments, didn't think anyone in LA could think for themselves - and to add on...yes, black people only voted Republican until FDR - connect the dots what happened then - yes, and it was Democrat LBJ who DESTROYED the black family - the inner cities that have been in the DEMS control for over 60 years are a complete disaster - the Moms need to wake up - they are trying to dumb us all down -. and if you are black and question what the hell Obama is doing, then you are, according to Jesse Jackson, not even black...go figure - MLK is turning in his grave. A de L, Madrid, Spain

[Anniebelle]

People get over yourself will you? If you weren't interested in the President, then why the heck did you read the article. So you could make your ugly little comments. Believe me this country went down hill 2001-2008. Guess who? By the way the Oval Office looked better.

[Stephen Morgan]

I'm surprised the the Kenyan in Chief hasn't decorated the oval office with the typical tacky Rent-a-center furniture and Mirrored Afrocentric pictures up to and including the ever popular "Black Jeebus"..

[Stephen Morgan]

I'm surprised the the Kenyan in Chief hasn't decorated the oval office with the typical tacky Rent-a-center furniture and Mirrored Afrocentric pictures up to and including the ever popular "Black Jeebus"..

[John Deriso]

I wonder why Johnson, Nixon, and Ford didn't use the desk from Queen Victoria? Anti-British sentiments, or is it just a hideous desk?

Off to Google I go.

(Maybe it was a SOCIALIST DESK!?!?)

[Bill]

This still didn't answer the question: HOW MUCH OF MY MONEY DID HE SPEND ON REMODELING THE OVAL OFFICE?

I'm guessing alot more than I spend on my house.