- Title: USA: Auction to sell rare photos of John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.
- Date: 8th December 2010
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) MATTHEW HALEY, BONHAMS BOOKS AND PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIALIST, SAYING: "It's really an incredibly important record of the Kennedy administration. I like to call it a portrait of a presidency, and it's the first time the American public really had that. Captain Stoughton was the first official White House photographer and was with the Kennedys day and night,
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa, Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA1FHC8CY9XDHEA96CWVGP2X8CU
- Story Text: Rare and intimate photographs of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his family soon will go on sale in New York. The collection of photographs will be sold by Bonhams auction house in New York. About 12,000 photographs are being offered by the estate of Cecil Stoughton. Stoughton (pronounced STOW-TON) was the first official White House photographer and had unprecedented access to the First Family.
One of the photographs offered shows what could be the only image of Marilyn Monroe, John F Kennedy and Robert Kennedy standing together.
"One of things in the collection is a photograph of Marilyn Monroe with President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. And she's come straight from singing 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' at Madison Square Garden. She's still wearing that incredibly tight sequined dress, and she's at a party on the Upper East Side, a democratic fundraiser. It's the only image that we are aware of where the three are captured together," said Matthew Haley, a book and photography specialist during a media preview on Tuesday (December 7).
The provocative photograph is expected to sell for between $4,000 and $6,000 (USD).
Another highlight of the sale is a photograph of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn into office after John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The Johnson photograph is expected to sell for between $5,000 and $7,000.
"The Lyndon B. Johnson photo is really one of the iconic images of the 20th century. Just after the assassination, Johnson didn't want to wait to get back to Washington DC before being sworn in, so he was sworn in on board Air Force One in an airfield in Texas. Captain Stoughton was the only photographer to make it there in time to take a picture," said Haley.
Decades after the assassination of John F Kennedy, the political family continues to fascinate people all over the world.
"There is something seductive about the Kennedys. It's a dynasty. It's almost like a royal family, and there was glamour, there was scandal, and there are all these wonderful images of all these incredibly beautiful family who at the same time had so much power," added Haley.
Stoughton's photographs include both posed and candid pictures of John and Jacqueline Kennedy as well as their children Caroline and John Jr.
"It's really an incredibly important record of the Kennedy administration. I like to call it a portrait of a presidency, and it's the first time the American public really had that. Captain Stoughton was the first official White House photographer and was with the Kennedys day and night, when they were on vacation, when they were traveling abroad. He was really there to capture every moment of that presidency," added Haley.
Photographer Cecil Stoughton died in 2008.
Also for sale are a tie that once belonged to President Kennedy that is expected to sell for between $4,000 and $6,000 and a collection of letters signed by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The collection is expected to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000.
The entire Kennedy collection is expected to draw more than $200,000.
The auction will be held on Thursday, December 9 at Bonhams in New York. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None