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Statement by NSC Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on of the Display of the
Ghazir Rug in the White House Visitor Center
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2014
*Statement by NSC Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on of the Display of
the Ghazir Rug in the White House Visitor Center*
On November 18-23, the White House Visitor Center will show an exhibit
entitled: `Thank you to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents
in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad.' Among those gifts
displayed will be the Ghazir Rug. The rug, also known as the
`Armenian Orphan Rug,' was presented to President Coolidge in 1925 in
recognition of the humanitarian assistance rendered by the American
people to displaced Armenian orphans.
The rug is made to characterize the Garden of Eden, contains 4 million
knots and took 18 months to complete. The rug measures 11.5 feet by
19 feet and is in excellent condition. It was removed with President
Coolidge's personal possessions when he left office in 1929 but was
returned to the White House as a gift from his family in 1982. The rug
has only been displayed twice since then, and is a reminder of the
close relationship between the people of Armenia and the United
States.
The other two items in the exhibit are a Sèvres vase commissioned by
`Young People of France' that is believed to have been sent to
President Hoover in 1930 in appreciation for feeding children in
post-World War I France, and Flowering Branches in Lucite which were
sent to President Obama in recognition of American support of the
people of Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2010.
The White House Visitor Center is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW. The center is free and open to the public from 7:30 a.m. until 4
p.m. daily.
###
Ghazir Rug in the White House Visitor Center
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2014
*Statement by NSC Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on of the Display of
the Ghazir Rug in the White House Visitor Center*
On November 18-23, the White House Visitor Center will show an exhibit
entitled: `Thank you to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents
in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad.' Among those gifts
displayed will be the Ghazir Rug. The rug, also known as the
`Armenian Orphan Rug,' was presented to President Coolidge in 1925 in
recognition of the humanitarian assistance rendered by the American
people to displaced Armenian orphans.
The rug is made to characterize the Garden of Eden, contains 4 million
knots and took 18 months to complete. The rug measures 11.5 feet by
19 feet and is in excellent condition. It was removed with President
Coolidge's personal possessions when he left office in 1929 but was
returned to the White House as a gift from his family in 1982. The rug
has only been displayed twice since then, and is a reminder of the
close relationship between the people of Armenia and the United
States.
The other two items in the exhibit are a Sèvres vase commissioned by
`Young People of France' that is believed to have been sent to
President Hoover in 1930 in appreciation for feeding children in
post-World War I France, and Flowering Branches in Lucite which were
sent to President Obama in recognition of American support of the
people of Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2010.
The White House Visitor Center is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW. The center is free and open to the public from 7:30 a.m. until 4
p.m. daily.
###