Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join a panel of style experts as they discuss the fashion of America’s First Ladies, exploring how style has communicated values, authority, and national identity across eras, from Dolley Madison to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. By examining these First Ladies through the Library’s collection, the program will highlight how fashion became part of the historical narrative of the presidency. The panel includes:
• Clinton Kelly, television host, style expert, and author
• Kate Andersen Brower, author and presidential historian
• Lisa Kathleen Graddy, Curator of Political History, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
• Anita McBride, former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush and Director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University
A corresponding display from 5-6pm in Whittall Pavilion will feature related items from Library collections.
For transcript and more information, visit loc.gov/item/video-12281
Join a panel of style experts as they discuss the fashion of America’s First Ladies, exploring how style has communicated values, authority, and national identity across eras, from Dolley Madison to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. By examining these First Ladies through the Library’s collection, the program will highlight how fashion became part of the historical narrative of the presidency. The panel includes:
• Clinton Kelly, television host, style expert, and author
• Kate Andersen Brower, author and presidential historian
• Lisa Kathleen Graddy, Curator of Political History, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
• Anita McBride, former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush and Director of the First Ladies Initiative at American University
A corresponding display from 5-6pm in Whittall Pavilion will feature related items from Library collections.
For transcript and more information, visit loc.gov/item/video-12281
