Beyond these three parlors was the modestly appointed state dining room, which could accommodate up to thirty-five guests. A smaller family dining room adjoined it on the north side. On the far end of the west wing was a spacious conservatory, a great favorite of Mary Lincoln, who used its flowers to adorn the house profusely. She also sent them to hospitals and hospital fund-raising events called sanitary fairs. Visitors picked the flowers so often that eventually the conservatory was declared off-limits to the public. (Flowers were not the only souvenirs taken. In the public rooms visitors shamelessly cut swatches from draperies and carpets, and stole tassels, ornaments, and fringes.)
Source: Abraham Lincoln ∶ A Life ▫𓂃
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