Never-before-published photos of John F Kennedy feature in a new illustrated memoir of the former US president.
Captured by his personal photographer Jacques Lowe, the images document the life of John ‘Jack’ Kennedy and his family, from his presidential campaign to his funeral at Arlington National cemetery.
Over five years Lowe photographed Kennedy mingling with the crowds on the campaign trail, in the White House during the Cuban missile crisis, talking with Harold Macmillan and other world leaders, and enjoying intimate moments with Jackie and Caroline.
Lowe entrusted his photographic archive, stored in a vault in the World Trade Center, to his daughter, Thomasina.
All 40,000 negatives were reduced to ashes after 9/11, but Thomasina made it her mission to restore his life’s work.
Thanks to modern technology all of Lowe’s choice prints have been scanned and restored, and his contact sheets brought to life. Many of his images have never before been published.
My Kennedy Years: A Memoir, published by Thames & Hudson, is now on sale.
The couple attended a local fundraiser to build grassroots support. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
The family gathered in Hyannis Port for a brief but welcome break before the campaign began in earnest. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
The liberal wing of the Democratic Party remained wary of Kennedy because of his nomination of Johnson for Vice President. The appearance with the liberal stalwart Humphrey at the beginning of the campaign was meant to show Jack united the party. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
After Jackie and Caroline joined the photo session, Jack relaxed. When Caroline began to suck on Jackie’s pearls, Jacques got his first famous image of the Kennedys. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
There they sat for almost an hour in front of the television, waiting for the votes from one of the big states to come in that would push Jack over the line. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
During the early campaigning of 1959, trips were interspersed with work in Congress and life at home in Georgetown. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
(© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
Images that Jacques took that eventually became the National Campaign poster and was ubiquitous. Images taken from a contact sheet. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
As the campaign rolled on, the crowds were invariably large and invariably fervent. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
Jacques had just taken a family portrait for the Christmas card and Jack had run upstairs to change to go and play golf – he was saying goodbye to Caroline. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
The West Virginia primary, which took place in early May, became the make or break contest where Jack would have to prove his Catholicism was not an impediment. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
One of the last campaign appearances on the steps of the Hartford Times, the day before the election. (© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
(© The Estate of Jacques Lowe)
