National Archives Debuts Special Display in Celebration of First Lady Centennials
Press Release · Monday, June 4, 2012

In 2012 the National Archives commemorates the 100th birthday of two extraordinary First Ladies, Pat Nixon (born on March 16), and Lady Bird Johnson (born on December 22). Now on display are rarely seen documents, photographs, and objects that explore the accomplished lives of these two women before they became First Ladies of the United States. The second installment, to debut in early Fall, will explore their years as residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The materials on exhibit are courtesy of Julie Nixon Eisenhower, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum.

The special one-case display can be viewed within the Public Vaults exhibit in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, located on Constitution Avenue, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. Admission to the museum is free. Spring and Summer hours (through Labor Day) are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Fall and Winter hours (day after Labor Day through March 14) are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Open daily, except Thanksgiving Day and December 25.

Highlights of the exhibit display include:

• Pages from Pat Nixon’s family farm account book, written at the height of the Depression in 1931;
• Stage and interview passes for Pat Nixon’s work as an “extra” in the Hollywood films Becky Sharp (1935) and The Great Ziegfeld (1936);
• An original issue of The Parrot, the high school newspaper on which Lady Bird worked;
• A book given to Lady Bird Johnson in 1934 by her future husband, Lyndon Baines Johnson, including his own personal inscription in the opening pages.

Throughout 2012, the National Archives will feature additional programming in celebration of Pat Nixon and Lady Bird Johnson including teacher/student outreach, social media initiatives, and special programs and exhibits at both the Richard Nixon and Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Libraries. Visit the
First Ladies Centennial web page [www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/events/first-ladies-centennial/] throughout the year for updates.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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