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the obama years
October 2, 2016

The Obama Family’s White House Life, in Pictures

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Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House

It’s hard to forget the emotional impact of seeing the victorious Barack Obama walk across the stage in Chicago’s Grant Park with his wife, Michelle, and young daughters, Malia and Sasha, on Election Night 2008. Over the past eight years, the world has obsessively watched the family as the president and First Lady attempted to give their girls a semblance of a normal childhood. Here, a collection of moments from their life in the White House, ranging from the mundane (a tween’s dance recital, a dad’s birthday barbecue) to the extraordinary (after-school visits to the Oval Office, Easter portraits in the Rose Garden).

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1 / 31 Photos
January 20, 2009 At the president's inauguration.  Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
January 20, 2009 Backstage at the inauguration. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
February 22, 2009 Dancing at the Governor's Ball. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
April 5, 2009 Signing the guestbook at Prague Castle in the Czech Republic. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
August 8, 2010 Celebrating the president's 49th birthday. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
August 8, 2010 At the president's 49th birthday barbecue. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
August 14, 2010 Swimming with Sasha in Florida. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
December 27, 2010 Eating shave ice in Hawaii.  Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
January 19, 2011 The president and First Lady entering a state dinner with Chinese president Hu Jintao. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
March 2, 2011 Preparing to greet recipients of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal.  Photo: Pete Souza/The White ... March 2, 2011 Preparing to greet recipients of the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal.  Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
June 11, 2011 Celebrating Sasha's birthday at Camp David. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
July 4, 2011 Watching fireworks from the roof of the White House. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
January 1, 2012 A New Year's Day swim in Hawaii. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
July 16, 2012 Caught on the kiss cam at an Olympic baseball game. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
September 6, 2012 Backstage at the Democratic National Convention. Photo: Pete Souza/Courtesy of The White House
January 17, 2013 Singing 'Happy Birthday' to the First Lady. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
January 20, 2013 A family portrait on the president's second Inauguration Day. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
January 21, 2013 Riding in the inaugural parade. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
June 16, 2013 Backstage at Sasha's dance recital.  Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
February 11, 2014 At a state dinner for President François Hollande of France. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
June 16, 2016 On the South Lawn, returning to the White House after a trip to California.  Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
June 29, 2014 The president and Sasha during a hike in Virginia. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
September 14, 2014 Viewing a portrait of Abraham Lincoln at the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Photo: Pete Souz... September 14, 2014 Viewing a portrait of Abraham Lincoln at the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
December 3, 2014 Under the mistletoe at a dinner for combatant commanders and military leadership. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
February 23, 2015 With Malia in the Oval Office. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
March 7, 2015 Listening to the remarks of Representative John Lewis in Selma, at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Pho... March 7, 2015 Listening to the remarks of Representative John Lewis in Selma, at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
April 5, 2015  A family portrait on Easter Sunday in the Rose Garden. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
July 17, 2015 With Malia at the Whitney Museum, in New York. Photo: Pete Souza/The White House
August 22, 2015 Malia biking in Martha's Vineyard. Photo: Steven Senne Photo/AP
April 7, 2015 Exiting Air Force One in Chicago. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin Photo/AP
May 18, 2015 Malia in her yard.  Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais Photo/AP
1 / 31

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  • new york magazine
  • the obama years
  • barack obama
  • michelle obama
  • sasha obama
  • malia obama
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