Four months after the shock assassination of her beloved husband President John “Jack” F. Kennedy, his 34-year-old widow Jackie, keen to preserve his political legacy, sat down to record a set of seven conversations...
"Jack really had this eye and he’d pick out the best things. He just had taste in every facet of his character – for people, for books, for sculpture, for furniture, for rooms, for houses. He bought our house in Georgetown because the doorknob was old…and he liked the sort of old look of it. And when we were first married, he always used to give me things he liked, like a letter of Byron or a letter of John Quincy Adams or something, which was fine. For our tenth anniversary, he was so sweet. After dinner was the time for present giving. And suddenly into the room comes Provi, our little maid, with about thirty different boxes. They were all from Klejman, except for one – he knew I used to collect drawings so he had gotten a couple of drawings from Wildenstein. And I could see the present he wanted me to choose the most was this Alexandrian bracelet. It’s a terribly simple, gold, sort of snake. It was the simplest thing of all and I could just see how he loved it. He’d just hold it in his hand. So, you know, that was a special present and he wouldn’t say which one he wanted to give me, but I could tell so I chose it."
"Jack just had taste in every facet of his character – for people, for books, for sculpture, for furniture, for rooms, for houses."
Four months after the shock assassination of her beloved husband President John “Jack” F. Kennedy, his 34-year-old widow Jackie, keen to preserve his political legacy, sat down to record a set of seven conversations about the President’s administration period with his aide and family friend Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. This was one of the very few interviews the famously private First Lady gave in the wake of JFK’s death and it was confidentially retained for nearly 50 years, until its public release this September.
The conversations are not only historically enlightening but also provide incredible insight into the elegant and vivacious First Lady's character and the nature of her and Jack's relationship, especially during their White House residency which she described as their "happiest years". We learn more about the couple's shared interests, which included a love of art, history and objects of beauty – reflected in their makeover and renovation of the White House, which they adorned with 19th century furniture and magnificent paintings and artifacts. Here Jackie talks fondly of her husband's good taste and the gifts he bestowed upon her.
Jacqueline Kennedy, Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy is published by Hyperion and is available now.
Text by Daisy Woodward
