In the early 1960s, renowned American photographer Richard Avedon noted for his work in the stylish fashion magazine Harper’s Bazaar, photographed the young and attractive first family. From his photo session with the elected, but not yet inaugurated President and his family, emerged an unusual a set of images. During his lifetime, Richard Avedon donated more than two hundred images to the Smithsonian Institution, including the photographs and negatives from the Harper’s Bazaar session. Shannon Thomas Perich, curator of photography at the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian culled more than seventy-five images from that donation for a book entitled The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family. The Smithsonian has the only set of these photographs and all of them will be on view at the Springfield Museums in the special exhibition Jack & Jackie: The Kennedys in the White House. Her talk will provide historical background on the sittings within a political and cultural context and critically examine the work of one of the finest photographers of the twentieth century.
Presented by Shannon Perich, Curator, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
Tickets available first-come, first-serve on the day of the lecture at the Welcome Center. The audience is invited to bring a lunch to enjoy during the program. Free coffee available. Cookies provided courtesy of Big Y.
Part of Smithsonian Week supported by the MassMutual Foundation.
Photos by Richard Avedon, courtesy of the National Museum of American History.
