Lorraine Waxman Pearce

Lorraine Waxman Pearce, sometimes known as Lorraine Pearce, (April 14, 1934 – March 14, 2017) was a decorative arts scholar and the inaugural White House art curator, key to the Kennedy restoration of the White House.

[1][2] Subsequent to her hiring by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961,[3] Pearce wrote the first guide that covered the White House's historic furnishings, which included George Washington's mirror, a chair from Lincoln's bedroom, a sofa attributed to Dolley Madison and items from John Tyler.

[5][6] While at Winterthur where she worked as a registrar,[7] she became known for her scholarship on the French impact on American arts.

[8] Henry Francis du Pont, the museum founder and chairman of the White House Fine Arts Committee, recommended Pearce for the curator role.

[1] Pearce resigned as curator in 1962 and spent much of the rest of her life in arts education.