Shortly after Gerald Ford took office in August of 1974, famed pop artist Andy Warhol created a portrait of the President for the October 1974 issue of Vogue magazine. Historian Arthur Schlesinger wrote the issue’s article on the President, “Gerald Ford: A Word of Appreciation.” With praise for Ford’s leadership to that date, Schlesinger wrote, “He is (thus far) exactly what he appears to be: a plain chap from Grand Rapids, open, unaffected, decent, dependable, patriotic, who finds himself in a quite unimaginable situation and means to do the best he can.” 

A few months later, on May 15, 1975, Warhol was invited to the White House for the first time, as a guest for the state dinner in honor of the Shah of Iran. Warhol’s interactions with the Shah and Empress were positive ones, and in 1976, Warhol was commissioned by the Iranian government to paint portraits of the royal couple.

The artist visited again that summer when the President’s son, Jack Ford, invited Warhol to take a tour of the White House. Also invited on the tour was Bianca Jagger (wife of Rolling Stone lead singer Mick Jagger), who was in the Washington, DC, area for a stop during the Stones’ Tour of the Americas. Warhol brought his signature Polaroid camera with him to the White House and photographed Jack Ford and Jagger on the Truman Balcony. White House Photographer David Hume Kennerly accompanied the trio and took behind-the-scenes photos of their tour and photoshoot.  

Kennerly appreciated the opportunity to “talk shop” with another photographer and artist, later writing to Warhol, “I enjoyed very much meeting you when you were here and was particularly glad you got a chance to see the slide show. I refined it after I showed it to you and it turned out to be a lot better when I finished it.”

Warhol would go on to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue again during the Carter and Reagan administrations, but it was the Ford administration that marked the beginning of Warhol’s presence in the White House.

Author: Lauren White