Within weeks of moving into the White House, Jackie successfully lobbied for the creation of a White House curator position. The curator would be in charge of the preservation and collection of the art, furniture, and decorative items used in the White House. Henry Francis Du Pont, who had been appointed the chairperson of the Fine Arts Committee, suggested a young woman who had recently graduated from the preservation program at Du Pont's Winterthur Museum. Jackie took his advice and in March 1961, Lorraine Waxman Pearce was hired as the first White House Curator. It was her first job out of graduate school.

Pearce, who referred to herself as timid and overeducated, reported directly to Jackie. Her job description was to help refurbish the White House in the authentic furnishings and character of the Founders, in the spirit of Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, and their successors. Initially, the project seemed overwhelming because there was so little to start from. Because the position was so new, there was no staff and very little budget. Pearce's salary was actually paid by the Smithsonian Institution. It was also personally challenging for Pearce, who had a one-year-old son at home.

After the announcement of the renovation, thousands of letters poured into the White House from people who owned or knew of presidential items. One letter led Pearce to acquire two blue armchairs bought by President Monroe. Jackie was away the day the chairs arrived. When President Kennedy stopped by the curator's office to see if anything new had come in and saw the chairs, he and Pearce decided they would be a perfect gift for Jackie. She was thrilled, both by the chairs and her husband's sentiment.