thank you, ben. [ applause ] >> benjamin la troeb worked closely with president james madison to refine the look and function of the early white house. mr. latrobe position is subject of a talk by leslie jones, collection manager at the white house historical association which is headquartered in lafayette square. this program is 45 minutes. >> good evening, folks. if i could urge you to find some seats. we may get more chairs if we need. to i think there are some empty seats around f you'll all try to get a seat, that will be great and we can start. we are excited to celebrate the bicentennial or war of 1812. this is the first program in that long celebration. this evening's talk, oh, the terrible velvet curtains and the madisons decorate the president's house is being presented by leslie jones of the white house historical association. before i introduce our speaker, i want to point out the items we have pulled for tonight's presentation. in the library cases you can see the bound letters to mrs. madison dating to 1809 regarding the decoration as well as another letter dated the follo