JFK. Those three letters invoke not just a name, but a man who defined an entire era for hundreds of thousands of Americans. And when he was assassinated, it shook the county. Now, at the 50th anniversary of his death, the Newseum presents two temporary exhibits that chronicle very different periods in John F. Kennedy's life.
The first, entitled “Creating Camelot”, focuses on the photographs of Kennedy’s campaign and first year as president, taken by photographer Jacques Lowe.
These images are not perfectly posed political pictures, but more intimate snapshots of everyday life.
Of course, it is the Kennedy version of everyday life, but still, these images show what appears to be a a young, beautiful couple who would go on to become America's version of royalty. The first photographs are images from the family home in Hyannis Port, during JFK's first sitting with Lowe. The label text describe a Kennedy as a somewhat shy, reluctant subject. Apparently he was not at ease with the first sitting until Jackie brought out Caroline to help take his mind off the photographs. And the photographs that accompany this anecdote reflect that. The images are an intimate glimpse into a day in the life of a young family.
As the exhibit progresses, there are photographs from some of JFK’s stops along the his presidential campaign root, but once again, they are not quite what you would expect. There are many that focus on JFK's successful stops along the campaign trail, but the most memorable one for me was an image taken after an unsuccessful one.
Although mostly photographs, the exhibit does contain a few objects, including Lowe's camera.
As the exhibit transitions from JFK's campaign to his presidency, the intimacy of the images remains. From images of Jackie and Caroline...
...to intimate moments between Jackie and John. (This series of three images is one of my favorites!)
As the exhibit progresses, there are photographs from some of JFK’s stops along the his presidential campaign root, but once again, they are not quite what you would expect. There are many that focus on JFK's successful stops along the campaign trail, but the most memorable one for me was an image taken after an unsuccessful one.
I don't know exactly what it is about the image, but I couldn't help but be pulled in. Maybe its because of his stance, or the water, or simply that fact that you can tell he's disappointed, but there is something powerful about this image.
One of my favorites!
Although mostly photographs, the exhibit does contain a few objects, including Lowe's camera.
As the exhibit transitions from JFK's campaign to his presidency, the intimacy of the images remains. From images of Jackie and Caroline...
...to intimate moments between Jackie and John. (This series of three images is one of my favorites!)
The last wall is devoted to Jackie. It is only fitting as she became one of the defining people of the era, and changed American style forever.
Although it was full of beautiful images and the didactic panels were extremely well done, I had a few issues with the exhibit itself. The main one was the flow of the exhibit. There was no real indication where the exhibited started, so many visitors went through it backwards. The large wall devoted to Jackie seemed to immediately draw people to it, which became a problem when they came to the end of the wall and entered the rest of the exhibit from the end. There also seemed to be a bit of a bottle neck in middle of the exhibit, but that appeared to be mainly because of space constraints. Over all, "Creating Camelot" was a very enjoyable exhibit that left me feeling like I had been given a glimpse into the private lives of America's version of the royal family.
The exhibit will be on display at the Newseum until January 5, 2014.
An interesting fact about this exhibit is that most of the images were not produced from the original negatives, as those were stored in the World Trade Towers and were lost on 9/11.
The next post will cover the exhibit on the fall of Camelot: November 22, 1963.
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