Affairs of State: 118 Years of Diplomacy and Entertaining at Anderson House

Diplomacy and entertaining have always gone hand in hand in the nation’s capital. Anderson House, headquarters of the Society of the Cincinnati, has played a historic role in that story during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries—but one that has largely gone untold. Since its opening in 1905, the mansion has been the site of hundreds of diplomatic, patriotic, philanthropic, and cultural events—establishing Anderson House as a uniquely sought-after destination in Washington, D.C., for heads of state, government officials, diplomats, and society leaders wanting a place to form relationships, consider challenges, and share common values. The exhibition Affairs of State: 118 Years of Diplomacy and Entertaining at Anderson House chronicles more than a century of the people and events that have given Anderson House its place in the diplomatic and cultural history of the American republic and its capital city. In this short video, the exhibition’s curator, Glenn Hennessey, director of marketing and communications, highlights the themes and selected objects of Affairs of State.