New Temporary Exhibition Highlights Truman Home in Independence

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (September 27, 2024)—The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum will open a new temporary exhibition titled Artistic Views of the Truman Home Sept. 30. The prominent Victorian home at 219 North Delaware Street in Independence, Missouri, has been a source of inspiration for artists who have created sketches, paintings, photographs, scale models and other depictions of the home.

Artistic Views of the Truman Home features more than a dozen different artistic renditions of the home and more than 50 photographs. President Truman and his wife Bess lived together in the home for 53 years, from their marriage in 1919 until the President’s death in 1972.

“While the home served as the Trumans’ ‘Summer White House,’ the Trumans didn’t acquire ownership until after Bess’s mother died in 1952, during the last months of the Truman administration,” explains Mark Adams, museum curator at the Truman Library. “Bess Truman’s maternal grandfather, George Porterfield Gates, built the home in 1867, and it’s long been considered one of Independence’s most prominent addresses.” 

The exhibition is inspired by Independence artist Muriel Winn Luedeman. In 2023, Luedeman completed her painting, “Truman’s White House,” and loaned it to the Museum, sparking the staff’s idea to develop this exhibition of varied artistic perspectives on the home, including a scaled model of the presidential dwelling.

The exhibit opens September 30 in the small temporary gallery on the lower level of the Truman Library and will continue through the end of 2024.

It is the second temporary exhibition for visitors. UPSET! Harry Truman and the 1948 Election highlights the biggest political upset in the 20th century through original political cartoons, campaign buttons, memorabilia, newsreels and interactive displays. UPSET! remains open through Feb. 1, 2025.

The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m. Museum admission is $12. Discounts are available for seniors, students and veterans. Admission is free for Truman Library Institute members and children 12 and younger.

This exhibit is made possible by the generous donors and members of the Truman Library Institute, the nonprofit partner of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum.

 

ABOUT

Established in 1957, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum preserves and provides access to President Truman’s historical materials. Through engaging exhibits and programs, the Library aspires to reach a broad and diverse audience in a continuous effort to keep President Truman’s life and legacy alive, emphasizing his ideals of citizenship, learning, and service. It is operated by the National Archives and Records Administration.

Funding for UPSET! is provided by the Truman Library Institute, the member-supported, nonprofit partner of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum. Founded by President Truman to ensure that his presidential library flourish as a "classroom for democracy," the Truman Library Institute draws on President Truman’s legacy to enrich the public understanding of history, the presidency, and America’s unique form of government. This mission is achieved through the development and funding of world-class museum exhibits, a robust international research grant program, public forums, and nationally acclaimed education programs serving tens of thousands of students and educators each year.