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President Roosevelt Gives the Annual Address to a Joint Session of Congress

Black and white photograph of President Franklin D. Roosevelt speaking to Members of Congress in the House Chamber, with the front few rows of seats visible. Spectators lean forward and watch from the balcony. To the left of the rostrum, palm trees and a ramp are barely visible./tiles/collection/1/11449.xml
Photograph reverse/tiles/collection/1/11448.xml
Black and white photograph of President Franklin D. Roosevelt speaking to Members of Congress in the House Chamber, with the front few rows of seats visible. Spectators lean forward and watch from the balcony. To the left of the rostrum, palm trees and a ramp are barely visible.
Photograph reverse
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Date

1935-01-04

Dimensions

11 × 13 1/2 in. (27.9 × 34.3 cm)

Accession Number

2008.110.000

Credit Line

Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

Object Details

This photograph from the President’s annual message to a Joint Session of Congress in 1935 shows an arrangement unique to President Franklin Roosevelt. To the left of the rostrum, The House installed a ramp to accommodate the Chief Executive’s difficulty walking. It was kept from the cameras by an artful distribution of ferns. The 1935 message marked the first use of “state of the Union” in an annual message, although the title was not formalized until 1947.

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