“Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.”
~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy
(1917-1963)
"Jackie, Caroline and Jack pause in the doorway of their Georgetown home before the senator heads off to his office on Capitol Hill. This is 1959, before the rush of the presidential campaign made such peaceful moments rare. Later, from this same doorway, President-elect Kennedy would announce his cabinet appointments to journalists clustered outside on the snowy street.”
~ Jacques Lowe
(1930-2001)
Not an ordinary goodbye on the way to a typical day at the office that most families experience, this is an intimate glimpse—captured by a sensitive photographer—into the other “life” of a young politician destined for history.
Jacques Lowe, a renowned photographer, had the rare privilege of documenting the private world of the Kennedy family, revealing their warmth, love, and humanity behind the public persona. Beginning in the late 1950s and continuing into the early 1960s, Lowe’s unique access allowed him to witness quiet gatherings, vacations, and unguarded moments, resulting in a body of work that is both candid and deeply personal. His photographs illuminate the vulnerability and authenticity of one of America’s most iconic families.
Tragically, most of Lowe’s original negatives were lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as they had been stored in a vault beneath the World Trade Center. The surviving prints, however, remain a powerful testament to the Kennedys’ legacy and to the extraordinary trust between photographer and subject. Through Lowe’s lens, we are invited to witness fleeting moments of affection, laughter, and everyday tenderness—reminders not only of history in the making, but of the enduring humanity at its heart.