Rose-colored box kept in the Rose Room of the White House and presented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to longtime White House seamstress and housekeeper Lillian Rogers Parks. Wooden box covered in moire silk measures 11.5 x 3.5 x 6, and is trimmed on the lid with a gold braid. Accompanied by a 1982 detailed letter of authenticity on White House letterhead from Mrs. Parks, who was a best selling author as well as housekeeper and seamstress at the White House for over 30 years, from President Hoover through President Eisenhower, which reads, in part: “This lovely box was given to me by President Franklin Roosevelt about 1939. The President said, ‘Lillian, take this for your very own. With Winston Churchill coming we might have to have a trunk instead of this little box.’ It was in the Rose Room…Actually, at least four other Queens from other countries had used this box and the room previous to Queen Elizabeth I…It is difficult to put an exact date on the origin of the box. It was in the White House many years prior to President Roosevelt. While it may have been used in other rooms, my Mama, Maggie Rogers, and I remember it only being in the Rose Room (Queens Room) on the dresser. It was used to keep personal effects in it such as small fans, jewelry and other things.” This box would have been used by many Presidents, First Ladies, as well as distinguished guests.” Some dampstaining and surface loss to one panel of the inside and one broken ribbon hinge, otherwise fine condition. A notable White House relic.
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