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{
    "localId": "1489963",
    "label": "White House - Nativity Scene",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489963"
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{
    "id": "1489963",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489963",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "White House - Nativity Scene",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489963",
    "collections": [
        "Sheila R. Weidenfeld Files (Ford Administration)",
        "Sheila Weidenfeld's General Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Holidays"
    ],
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    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1489963",
    "naId": 1489963,
    "coverageEndDate": {
        "logicalDate": "1967-12-31",
        "month": 12,
        "year": 1967
    },
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        "logicalDate": "1967-12-01",
        "month": 12,
        "year": 1967
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{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/ford/grf-0126/644396/1489963.pdf",
    "mediaId": "7b48dac574dcf086",
    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box 46, folder \"White House - Nativity Scene\" of the\nSheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box 46 of the Sheila Weidenfeld Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\nFOR RELEASE AFTER 9:00 A.M.\nWednesday, December 13, 1967\nOffice of the Press Secretary\nto Mrs. Johnson\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nThe White House has received an exquisite Christmas gift--\nan 18th century Italian creche -- from Mr. and Mrs. Charles W.\nEngelhard, Jr. of Far Hills, New Jersey.\nThe Nativity scene contains thirty baroque carved figures\nincluding the Holy Family, the three kings and their attendants,\nshepherds, angels, cherubs, and various animals associated with\nthe manger scene. Brightly colored and richly clothed, the figures\nrange from 12 to 18 inches high and are delicately carved in wood.\nMrs. Johnson has long hoped that a creche might be acquired\nfor the permanent collection that would be 2 work of art commensurate\nwith other White House treasures. In previous years, a creche has\nbeen borrowed, and last year Mrs. Engelhard provided a contemporary\ncreche with figures made of gold fabric and paper mache.\nAfter extensive research and travel in Europe on the subject\nof creches, Mrs. Engelhard acquired the figures from Marisa\nPiccole Catello of Naples, Italy, whose family has been collecting\nNativity figures for more than 300 years.\nNoted stage designer and theater consultant Donald Oenslager\nof New York City has contributed his time and talents to create the\nsetting and lighting. The figures will be arranged on a multilevel\nstage placed in the center window of the East Room. The baroque\nproscenium arch is ivory colored with gold trim, and the archi-\ntectural details match the decor of the East Room.\nThe stage extends four feet from the window, and the entire\nset is about 14 feet high. The backdrop (cyclorama) is a luminous\ndark blue, and three angels and a small cherub are suspended over\nthe manger. Lights are contained within the structure, and the\nR.\nentire creche can be easily disassembled X for storage.\nBEAL\nFORD\nLIBRARY\nMr. Oenslager has designed settings for numerous plays and\noperas, and he was a consultant on the New York State Theater\nand Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center. Mr. Richard Casler\nis associated with Mr. Oenslager in supervising the arrangement\nof the creche."
}