"This illustrated volume recounts the evolution of the presidency, from the age of George Washington until today. Drawing from the vast collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, it provides a revealing glimpse of the culture, particularly the material culture, of the presidency: the duties, responsibilities, rituals, representations, and personal effects of America's chief executive.".

"The American Presidency accompanies a permanent exhibition of the same name at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History."--BOOK JACKET.