Although Jackie's agenda was strictly aesthetic, she was aware that everything in Washington had potential political ramifications. As it was, she and Pearce had to convince skeptics that a professional guidebook/catalog was an essential tool in the process of turning the White House into a historical museum. In the planning of the first official White House guidebook, Jackie opted against using public funds to publish it outright. She formed a nonprofit organization called the White House Historical Association to publish the guidebook, which would be offered for sale to all visitors. Profits from the publication would be used to help finance the restoration project and pay for items located by the Fine Arts Committee.

Developing the Guide

Working with Pearce, Jackie assisted in all aspects of the book: She helped select the photographs to illustrate the guide, designed the layout, and approved the text, which Pearce wrote. Jackie's hands-on involvement coupled with her artistic taste and aesthetic vision paid off. Within six months after its 1962 publication, The White House: An Historic Guide sold half a million copies. The book is currently in its twenty-second edition and continues to fund the White House Historical Association.

Pearce remained curator for eighteen months before leaving to raise her children. She later established an antiques business and lectured and tutored on the decorative arts out of her Georgetown home, a four-story ship captain's house built in 1810.

Televised Tour

The public response to the renovation was overwhelmingly positive. To let Americans see the progress, Jackie conducted a televised tour of the White House, which CBS broadcast on February 14, 1962. A record 56 million viewers watched as the First Lady guided the audience through the newly restored rooms. She used the network exposure to explain her belief that the White House was more than a private residence for the sitting president; it should be a showcase for art and culture, a source of national pride, and a place every American should visit. The broadcast was a huge success, and Jackie was later awarded an honorary Emmy for public service.