Rose Kennedy's Family Album: From the Fitzgerald Kennedy Private Collection, 1878-1946

by The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation (Editor), Caroline Kennedy (Foreword by)

Overview

To mark John F. Kennedy's centennial, celebrate the life and legacy of the 35th President of the United States.
A selection of more than 300 images--including family letters, personal ephemera, and captivating photographs--collected by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, many never seen before, featuring the beloved and revered Kennedy family: This remarkable history dates from 1878 through 1946--up to the aftermath of WWII and the beginning of JFK's political career--and covers everything from the family's first home to beach vacations, from children's birthdays to first Communions. The images capture the formative years of a uniquely American dynasty, imparting a glowing nostalgia to the period and detailing the family's progress as it grows from a pair of turn-of-the-century newlyweds into a populous, vibrant clan of hopeful young men and women on the brink of their brilliant destinies. This is a piece of Americana that readers will treasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455544813
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	10/08/2013
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	219 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Caroline Kennedy is the author/editor of ten bestselling books on constitutional law, American history, politics, and poetry. A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School, Kennedy is active in the efforts to improve New York City public schools and serves as President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

Editorial Reviews

12/02/2013
This well-assembled album, edited by the John F. Kennedy Library with an introduction by Caroline Kennedy, provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of America's most public families. The Kennedys are shown on their best behavior, during the happy days of the early 1940s, before one daughter was sent away forever, and the eldest son, Joe Jr. died in the war. The editors have attempted to make the family appear relatable, and many readers will connect with mother Rose when, for instance, she writes an endearing note to her son, urging him to make a dentist's appointment or else she will withhold his allowance. But even as the most ordinary childhood milestones are displayed, the significant differences in their status begin to emerge; a photo caption describes Teddy's first communion at the Vatican, and other family photos include celebrities. The "album" ends in 1947, just as John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts, leaving readers yearning to see the children continue to grow into their inevitable roles. B&w photos. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A rare, intimate glimpse of...America's 35th President-to-be, surrounded by the siblings who helped shape him."—People

"Fascinating...an intriguing, unique window into the formation of one of the country's most enduring and controversial dynasties."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

"A rare, intimate glimpse of...America's 35^th President-to-be, surrounded by the siblings who helped shape him."

People

This volume includes hundreds of never-before-seen photographs from the private collection of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, showing her growing family in intimate moments right up to the launch of John F. Kennedy's career. Caroline Kennedy provides commentary; with a 150,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

2013-10-03
A fascinating album of the Kennedy matriarch's collection of family photos focusing on the first half of the 20th century. As with most photo albums, this one includes, among an abundance of static group shots and portraits, loads of candid shots of happy-seeming children playing sports, holding pets, reaching milestones, at home, at school, at holidays abroad and by the sea. Rose (nee Fitzgerald) and Joseph P. Kennedy's family portraits are densely populated. Their brood, begun with Joe Jr. in 1915, grew to include nine children in all with the birth of Teddy in 1932. As if the sheer size of the clan were not enough to engage the casual observer, what makes these photos particularly interesting is that they are, of course, of the Kennedys. They may look at first glance like an ordinary, if privileged, group of American kids marching (or running, swimming and sledding) inexorably toward maturity through the Jazz Age, the Depression and World War II. But among these sometimes-gawky, sometimes-silly, often proud-looking children are the eerily recognizable young faces of the future president, his attorney general, and the longtime senior senator from Massachusetts. "A mother knows," Rose said of the first time she held her own infant, "that hers is the influence that can make that little, precious being into a leader, an inspiration, a shining light to the world." The handsomely displayed photos are explicated by straightforward history, snippets of family correspondence, and precise and informative captions. The themes of the collection are happiness, innocence and achievement; the collection ends with Jack's successful run for Congress in 1946, with only occasional tastes of the tragedies to come. For students of American politics and history, an intriguing, unique window into the formation of one of the country's most enduring and controversial dynasties.

Kirkus Reviews