White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin and President Gerald Ford’s Official Photographer David Hume Kennerly Explore the Stories Behind Iconic White House Photography

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The White House Historical Association today released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast. Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, sits down with David Hume Kennerly, Pulitzer Prize-winning former White House photographer. The episode offers a remarkable inside look at life in the White House in the mid 1970s through firsthand accounts behind his photographs.

Kennerly’s storied career as a Chief White House Photographer began at age 27, when President Gerald Ford invited him to photograph his presidency in the days following President Richard Nixon’s resignation in August 1974. In the episode, Kennerly reflects on the character and warmth of President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford, the mutual trust they developed, and the candid, unexpected moments he witnessed. Kennerly also discusses the many historic moments he documented throughout his career following his role at the White House, including the first photo of five living presidents, taken at the dedication of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in 1991.

“These thousands of compelling photographs offer a rare glimpse into the presidency, capturing defining public moments and personal interactions that broaden our understanding of the Executive Mansion as an office and a home, and the people whose lives and service have shaped our shared history,” said McLaurin.

Kennerly’s photographs captured not only pivotal events and traditions in presidential history, but also illuminated informal interactions less frequently seen by the public, including Queen Elizabeth II sharing a laugh with President Ford at the Bicentennial State Dinner and President Barack Obama spending a quiet moment with First Lady Michelle Obama in the freight elevator of the Washington Convention Center on the evening of his inauguration in January 2009. Another memorable photograph shows Mrs. Ford dancing on the Cabinet Room table the day before President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration in January 1977, which Kennerly interpreted as a symbol of her feminist advocacy in a historically male domain. 

“There wasn’t one day that I took working at the White House for granted or didn’t go through those gates thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe I’m here’,” said Kennerly.

Prior to his career-defining role at the White House, Kennerly photographed major pop stars, the 1969 World Series, the Vietnam War, and the aftermath of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination at the Ambassador Hotel. Throughout his career, Kennerly has photographed 13 American presidents, significantly contributing to the public’s understanding of presidential history.

Through his personal recollections in his new book, “In the Room: 60 Years on the Front Lines of History,” Kennerly offers a rare and intimate perspective on the American presidency.

The White House 1600 Sessions podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The full video of this podcast episode is also available on the White House Historical Association’s YouTube channel here.

The White House 1600 Sessions
The White House Historical Association’s President Stewart McLaurin is the host of The White House 1600 Sessions, the Association’s official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America’s most iconic residence and highest office.

About the White House Historical Association
Founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the White House Historical Association is the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization entrusted with preserving and sharing the history of the White House. Supported entirely by private philanthropy and the sale of educational books and products, the Association reaches millions of students, teachers, and lifelong learners through research and scholarship initiatives, public programming, and the authoritative titles published by its independent press. Throughout each presidency, the Association works with the Offices of the First Lady and the White House Curator to acquire and preserve historic objects for the White House Fine and Decorative Arts Collection. The Association also operates The People’s House: A White House Experience, a free, immersive, educational museum in Washington, D.C., which welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org.

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SOURCE The White House Historical Association