Mamie Eisenhower 1896–1979

When Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower became first lady, Life and other photographic magazines cast her in the role of the nation’s homemaker-in-chief. “Of course, being mistress of the White House is a terrific responsibility,” she explained to a reporter in 1952, “and I am truly grateful for my Army wife training.” Her approach to the role was in harmony with a social campaign that encouraged middle-class white women to embrace female domesticity after many had worked outside the home during the war effort.

Life magazine, October 20, 1958 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution