Seeking photograph of White House Household Slaves

Good Morning Toni,

I tried to find that photo, but found this instead.

According to this website the first photograph of the White House was taken in 1946, Tyler was not President at that time  https://hyperallergic.com/347360/the-first-known-photograph-of-the-white-house/   But, of course, this could be wrong, I cannot say for sure.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Tyler

Tyler was President from April 4, 1841 until March 4, 1845

Best Wishes,

Alice Lane

Volunteer Researcher

Hello Ms. Tyler:

Thanks for your History Hub question.  I didn’t find any photographs that match the image described in your message.  However, I wanted to call your attention to some resources on President Tyler that you might find interesting.

The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division offers a large online database of digitized photographs and other graphic material.  However, a search for “Tyler, John,--1790-1862" as a subject only resulted in about 30 images, none of which showed him at the White House.

The Library of Congress Manuscript Division holds a collection of John Tyler’s papers dating from 1691 to 1918 and consisting of about 1,400 items in nine containers.  The Index to the John Tyler Papers was published by the Library in 1961, and is available online through links in the Library’s catalog record for the Tyler papers.  The “Provenance” essay on pages v to viii of the Index provides information on the journey that the Tyler papers took to their final home at the Library of Congress.  The ex-president kept quantities of papers and books at his Virginia plantation home called “Sherwood Forest,”  Many of them were lost or destroyed when the plantation was left vacant during the Civil War.  Papers deposited in a Richmond bank were lost when that city burned in 1865.  As a result, the Tyler papers are one of the smallest presidential collections in the Manuscript Division.

The Library has digitized the Tyler papers and made the collection available online.  As you will discover on that site, the collection does not contain any photographs of Tyler or others.  However, the online presentation contains links to other internet resources on the president, including a “Resource Guide”.  Another useful resource is a presentation on President Tyler from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.

Best wishes,

Reference Staff/BK

Manuscript Division

Library of Congress

Dear Ms. Tyler,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Records of the White House Office, 1814 - 1977 (Record Group 130) but were unable to locate records pertaining to President Tyler or the White House slaves during his administration.

We suggest that you review the enslaved household of President Tyler, about the White House during the President Tyler administration, and records of President Tyler held at the University of Virginia Miller Center.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!