One more TR fact

As most of you know, I've been paying particular attention to the life of our 26th President this month. Last night with a group of friends, I finished the second half of a documentary about his life which covered mainly his time as president. 3 hours is not enough time to cover the facts of any normal man's life, and as most of us know, TR was no normal man. Inevitably, some things were left out. As the documentary was explaining all the great strides TR took in preserving wild lands for future generations, I could not help but think back on one of the greatest acts of non-preservation that marked his career. I am speaking of the Tiffany Screen.

When I was young, my Father developed a in interest in stained glass. On the surface you would not believe that my father is a very artistic man, however he is a skilled craftsman and a decent photographer and I suppose that he was looking for another creative outlet. This hobby of his has grown so large that he now has his own workshop in the back yard and his yearly glass Christmas ornaments are highly sought after gifts. So, one bored Saturday afternoon not too long ago, I happened upon a show about Louis Comfort Tiffany, the artist famous for his glasswork and the son of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Lewis Tiffany and decided to have a watch.

During the administration of Chester A. Arthur, I soon learned, Tiffany was hired to help renovate the somewhat dilapidated White House. As part of that renovation, Tiffany created a magnificent art glass screen to help separate the main entrance from the cross hall. Created in the Art Nouveau style, the screen was rather ornate, including inset topaz, rubies and amethysts and depicted four eagles with a shield bearing the initials "U.S." Not suprisingly, two decades later when TR took office, he didn't quite feel that the style fit him and as the White House was in serious need of renovation, he had the interior gutted and gave the order to "break in small pieces that Tiffany screen." Such a bold pronouncement could hardly come as a surprise to those who have taken any time to study the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

Sadly, it is not known what became of the screen. There is debate among scholars as to whether or not it was actually smashed per presidential order or taken apart and stored somewhere by a 'conscientious objector.' However, as no pieces of the screen have ever surfaced, it appears that TR got his way and the magnificent Tiffany screen is nothing but a memory.

For more info (and to see where I got the pictures), check out this, this and this.