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From the early 1900s to about 1950, the Kennedy and Fitzgerald families documented their lives on nitrate photographic film. They were part of a new generation of amateur photographers utilizing a new medium that enabled them to produce numerous snapshots of everyday life – of friends and relatives, trips, holidays, and other celebratory occasions. When nitrate film became commercially available in the late 1880s, it made possible technical advancements in amateur roll film for smaller, more mobile cameras, ushering in the practice of family photography.  

More than a century later, the surviving nitrate negatives from the Kennedy Family Collection have been digitized due in part to the inherently fragile and unstable nature of the medium, but also to provide greater access and ensure future use while the physical objects remain safely preserved in their original format and condition.

The JFK Library is pleased to announce the completion of an 18-month grant project to catalog and provide online access to these newly digitized materials. Archivists created robust descriptions and metadata records for all of the nitrate negatives in the collection so that users can browse, search, and discover these historic photographs. Over 1,700 photographs are now available on the Library’s website. The nitrates represent a subset of photographic materials in a collection that provides access to the more personal, private moments of this prominent family not found in other historical sources. 

These photos – the third in a series of posts to highlight images from this cataloging project - feature former Mayor of Boston, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, pictured alone or with his wife, Mary Josephine Hannon Fitzgerald, and their children and grandchildren. The following images offer glimpses into Honey Fitz’s personality, his family and public service life, and the keen interest he held for his Irish heritage. 

To browse all of the Kennedy Family Collection photos in which John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald appears, visit the Digital Archives.   

Photographs © John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

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KFC1429N. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald and Rose Fitzgerald Aboard R.M.S. Franconia, ca. June 27-August 16, 1911

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KFC887N. John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald with Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., at Nantasket Beach, ca. 1916

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KFC803N. John F. Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Fitzgerald in Palm Beach, Florida, ca. 1915-1916

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KFC807N. John F. Fitzgerald, Mary Josephine Fitzgerald, and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in Palm Beach, Florida, ca. 1915-1916

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KFC232N. Kennedy Family Children with Their Grandparents, John F. Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Fitzgerald, in Cohasset, ca. 1922

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KFC211N. Kennedy Family Children with Their Grandparents, John F. Fitzgerald and Mary Josephine Fitzgerald, in Cohasset, ca. 1922

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KFC1422N. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald with John Hays Hammond, Sr., Aboard R.M.S. Franconia,ca. June 27-August 16, 1911

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KFC1559N. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald and Boston Chamber of Commerce Delegates at Residence of Sir Thomas Lipton in England, ca. July 5, 1911

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KFC1481N. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald with Rose Fitzgerald, Agnes Fitzgerald, and Hugh Nawn Aboard Sir Thomas Lipton’s Yacht in England, ca. August 7, 1911

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KFC240N. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald at Gatun Locks in Panama, ca. May 1-4, 1913

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KFC1442N. John F. Fitzgerald at Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland, ca. August 8, 1908

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KFC1519N. John F. Fitzgerald and Agnes Fitzgerald Visit Treaty Stone of Limerick in Limerick, Ireland, ca. August 5, 1908

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KFC1447N. John F. Fitzgerald Swims in Ireland, ca. August 1908-August 1909

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KFC1430N. John F. Fitzgerald with Donkey in Ireland, ca. August 1908-August 1909

Read more about the project on the Library’s Blog. Photographs © John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

From the early 1900s to about 1950, the Kennedy and Fitzgerald families documented their lives on nitrate photographic film. They were part of a new generation of amateur photographers utilizing a new medium that enabled them to produce numerous snapshots of everyday life – of friends and relatives, trips, holidays, and other celebratory occasions. When nitrate film became commercially available in the late 1880s, it made possible technical advancements in amateur roll film for smaller, more mobile cameras, ushering in the practice of family photography.   

More than a century later, the surviving nitrate negatives from the Kennedy Family Collection have been digitized due in part to the inherently fragile and unstable nature of the medium but also to provide greater access and ensure future use while the physical objects remain safely preserved in their original format and condition. 

The JFK Library is pleased to announce the completion of an 18-month grant project to catalog and provide online access to these newly digitized materials. Archivists created robust descriptions and metadata records for all of the nitrate negatives in the collection so that users can browse, search, and discover these historic photographs. Over 1,700 photographs are now available on the Library’s website. The nitrates represent a subset of photographic materials in a collection that provides access to the more personal, private moments of this prominent family not found in other historical sources. 

These photos – the second in a series of posts to highlight images from this cataloging project - feature the Kennedy and Fitzgerald families as travelers and tourists, taking snapshots of historic sites and scenic views for the sake of personalizing their experiences abroad. 

Follow Rose Fitzgerald on her travels as a young woman during her school year abroad (1908-1909), and with her father Mayor of Boston, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, during the Boston Chamber of Commerce tours of Europe(1911)andPanama (1913). Take note of the same countries her children would visit decades later. Or see the vacation spots the Kennedy family traveled to during their embassy years, when Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain.

Photographs © John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

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KFC1418N. Rose Fitzgerald and Agnes Fitzgerald with Unidentified Girl Aboard S.S. Cymric, ca. July 1908-August 1909

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KFC1445N. Rose Fitzgerald at Windsor Castle in Windsor, Berkshire, England, ca. July-August, 1908

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KFC1529N. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald and Rose Fitzgerald with Boston Chamber of Commerce Delegates at Royal Palace Gardens in Budapest, Hungary, ca. July-August, 1911

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KFC1449N. Rose Fitzgerald Kisses Blarney Stone in County Cork, Ireland, ca. August 8, 1908

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KFC675N. Kathleen Kennedy Kissing Blarney Stone in County Cork, Ireland, ca. July-August, 1937

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KFC1452N. John F. Fitzgerald and Rose Fitzgerald at Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, ca. August 1909

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KFC702N. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Visits Giant’s Causeway in Bushmills, Northern Ireland, ca. August 1937

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KFC1471N. View of Eiffel Tower and Ferris Wheel in Paris, France, ca. August 4-5, 1911

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KFC2834N. Edward M. Kennedy at Hôtel des Invalides in Paris, France, ca. August 4, 1950

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KFC1057N. Rosemary Kennedy and Betty Rice Visit Kilcroney Castle in County Wicklow, Ireland, ca. July 1-August 8, 1938

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KFC646N. Kathleen Kennedy Visits Doge’s Palace in Venice, Italy, March 30, 1936

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KFC711N. View of Killiney Beach in Killiney, Ireland, ca. July-August, 1937

Read more about the project on the Library’s Blog. Photographs © John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

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