The Resolute Desk is a symbol of two nations' folly

An extremely Victorian tale that ends in the Oval Office

President John F. Kennedy sits at the Resolute Desk in 1962. (White House Photo by Cecil Stoughton / John F. Keffedy Presidential Library and Museum/NARA)

In early February 1961, the White House announced that Jacqueline Kennedy had made a “most interesting discovery.” Aiming to restore a mansion she once labeled a “dreary Maison Blanche,” the new first …