Virginia B. Hart

The first book in over 20 years tells the story of the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Reception Rooms, a collection of American fine and decorative arts that is among the best in the world. The rooms have been used for diplomatic negotiations for over six decades. They are located in the Truman Building in Washington, D.C., and were designed by four renowned architects. The rooms are filled with exceptional American art and artifacts that tell the story of the nation's founding and represent the ideals of the American character. The collection includes more than 5,000 objects, including paintings by John Singleton Copley and Gilbert Stuart, silver and porcelain owned by George Washington and other presidents, fine furniture, maps and documents, prints and drawings, and the desk on which the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War was signed. This book features all-new photography and essays that explore the history of the rooms and the extraordinary American art that animates them.