Norman Rockwell Captured the Hustle of the West Wing in Colorful Drawings Displayed for Decades in the White House. They’re Now on Public View for the First Time

Bruce M. White for the White House Historical Association In 1943, Norman Rockwell spent hours in the lobby of the West Wing, watching the steady stream of visitors waiting to see President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The American artist turned those White House observations into four colorful sketches called So You Want to See the President!, which were published in The Saturday Evening Post later that same year.

Now, as America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the original drawings are being displayed publicly for the first time. They’re on view now at The People’s House: A White House Experience, a museum in Washington, D.C. run by the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit that aims to give visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse into life and work at America’s most famous residence.

So You Want to See the President! is a feast for the eyes, showing the wide variety of people hoping to speak with the president. It depicts White House reporters, military officials, politicians, a photographer, a Scottish soldier and Miss America—plus the Secret Service agents watching over them all. An aide pushes a cart that contains Roosevelt’s lunch—while being chased by the president’s beloved Scottish terrier, Fala—and secretaries dash around holding papers. Roosevelt himself, meanwhile, is inconspicuous, sitting at his desk in the Oval Office behind a half-open door in the lower righthand corner.