Return to ‘Camelot’ with Kennedy exhibitsDate: 12/15/2017 SPRINGFIELD – The 27 photos produced by famed photographer Richard Avedon represent a specific moment in history: a look at the President-elect John F. Kennedy and his family just days before his inauguration.
All it took was an hour and half, according to Shannon Perich, curator of the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian and author of the book “The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family, to produce the iconic images.
Those images, the original prints made by Avedon himself, are part of the exhibit “Jack & Jackie: The Kennedys in the White House” at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts and “Collecting Camelot: The Kennedy Era and its Collectibles” at the Wood Museum of Springfield History.
The exhibits not only feature the photos, but also present an interactive reproduction of the Oval office, a detailed look at the effect the Kennedy Administration had on the arts and the breath of Kennedy mania by the nature of products produced to capitalize on the popularity of his presidency.
Springfield Museum President Kay Simpson explained the exhibit was made possible through the partnership the Springfield Museum have with the Smithsonian.
At a press event announcing the exhibits, Perich explained how Jackie Kennedy repaid a favor to Diana Vreeland, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar, by arranging time for a photo session with Avedon, one of the nation’s most celebrated fashion photographers at the time.
He went to West Palm Beach, FL, on Jan, 2, 1961 to shoot for the magazine and came back with images featuring the president-elect, his wife, their young daughter and infant son.
Perich said although the assignment was to photograph the First Lady, he “wasn’t going to let an opportunity slip by and just photograph Jackie.”
Avedon used a 2.25 by 2.25 camera and black and white film for the images. The photos on exhibit were printed by Avedon and mounted on black board. He enlarged his contact sheets, which reveal part of his creative process.
Perich explained that Avedon “wasn’t interested in flattery.” Instead the photographer tried to present the emotion and humanity of his subjects.
One of the images is a close-up simply showing the hands of the president-elect and his daughter Caroline.
Newsweek later reported Avedon’s comment: “When I took Caroline’s picture with her father, he was dictating memos to his secretary … When I’d ask him to look around, he’d stop dictating. But the moment I finished, he’d start in where he left off. I’ve never seen such a display of mental control in my life.”
The “Collecting Camelot: The Kennedy Era and its Collectibles” features items from local collector Frank J. Andruss Sr. The exhibit includes a Kennedy board game developed by several Harvard University students to toys that featured Caroline Kennedy and various campaign pins, banners and posters.
There was even a President Kennedy Halloween costume for children.
Also featured is a copy of the hugely popular record “The First Family,” which poked fun at Kennedy, his family and administration.
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