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Set of four wooden spindle-back side chairs used at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains, each measuring 38.5˝ tall, with a 15˝ wide back and 16˝ wide seat. The underside of each seat bears an engraved brass plate reading “U.S. Property, Camp David,” with two plates respectively numbered as “3” and “7.” Each chair features a shaped crest rail with a scrolled center, seven turned spindles above a shaped lower rail, tall tapering stiles, an inset seat panel, and turned front legs joined by turned stretchers. Professionally restored and in overall very good to fine condition, with scattered surface wear, some loose joints, and scratches to the plates. Consignor notes that the chairs were obtained directly from White House photographer George J. Szabo.
George J. Szabo (1927–2021) served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, earning the Silver Star, the Soldier's Medal, and the Purple Heart. He went on to work as a White House photographer for over two decades, from the Eisenhower administration through the Carter administration, and traveled internationally with the Apollo 12 astronauts.
Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, was established by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. Roosevelt had liked to relax on a presidential yacht, but the military and Secret Service grew concerned about his safety on the open water during World War II, so he asked the National Park Service to identify sites within 100 miles of the White House. Camp Hi-Catoctin was selected after the president’s first visit on April 22, 1942, and he named it ‘Shangri-La,’ after James Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon.
Harry S. Truman made it a permanent federal facility and added heat to the cabins, allowing winter use. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower renamed the site after his grandson, David. Every president since Roosevelt has used the retreat, 15 in all. Roosevelt hosted Winston Churchill there in 1943, and the two discussed the Normandy invasion; Eisenhower hosted Nikita Khrushchev there in 1959, the first time a Soviet leader had come to the United States; and Jimmy Carter brought the leaders of Egypt and Israel there in 1978 for talks that produced the Camp David Accords. Officially designated Naval Support Facility Thurmont, the camp is still in active use. On July 31, 2026, Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting there, his first at Camp David in his second term.
