In pictures: Offbeat in the Oval Office
- Published
Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway has sparked a social media storm after pictures emerged of her kneeling on the sofa in the Oval Office with her shoes on. We look back at other moments when formality has given way to a more relaxed atmosphere in the Oval Office.
Way back in 1963 it was President Kennedy's son, John Jr, who managed to turn the president's desk into a play space while his father met with advisers.
It was obviously a popular pastime as, that same year, Caroline Kennedy and Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Attorney General Robert F Kennedy, also played inside the desk
Just over ten years later President Ford was photographed with his feet up shortly after moving into the office after the resignation of Richard Nixon.
Holding a ball autographed by the 1982 University of Southern California football team, President Reagan re-enacted his pose from the film "Knute Rockne, All American" when he portrayed American footballer George Gipp (The Gipper).
In 2013 the White House joined in the fun of April Fool's Day with the help of a nine-year old YouTube sensation known as Kid President.
Pete Souza was the official White House photographer during the Obama administration. He said of this photo: "I thought it was an interesting juxtaposition focused on just the feet as the President sat on the Resolute Desk during a casual meeting with Beth Cobert, OMB Deputy Director for Management, Valerie Green, Director of Presidential Personnel and Anita Decker Breckenridge, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations."
In 2014, photographer Lawrence Jackson captured the moment a young boy face-planted on to the sofa in the Oval Office as the President greeted his parents - a departing United States Secret Service agent and his wife.