#hyannis port
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 fourth and final in a series of posts to highlight images from this cataloging project - feature the Kennedy family enjoying outdoor leisure time together, whether at the beach in Hyannis Port, in the pool in Palm Beach, or on vacation with family and friends. These images highlight the Kennedy family’s affinity for the water – both ocean and pool, stateside and abroad.
To browse all of the Kennedy Family Collection photos that show the family (and others) swimming and participating in other sports and recreational activities, visit the Digital Archives.
Photographs © John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
KFC31N. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., Swims with His Children at the Beach in Hyannis Port, ca. 1925
KFC621N. John F. Kennedy Swims at the Beach in Hyannis Port, ca. 1925-1926
KFC117N. Rosemary Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy, and Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Sit Poolside in Palm Beach, Florida, 1934
KFC1017N. Rosemary Kennedy and Kathleen Kennedy Swim at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida, March 1934
KFC1013N. Kennedy Family Children with Nanny Katherine Conboy at Breakers Beach in Palm Beach, Florida, March 1934
KFC304N. Patricia Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Jean Kennedy Play in the Pool in Palm Beach, Florida, March 1934
KFC109N. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., with Edward M. Kennedy at the Pool in Palm Beach, Florida, March 1935
KFC209N. Edward M. Kennedy with Edward E. Moore and Mary Moore at the Pool in Palm Beach, Florida, ca. March 1936
KFC583N. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and His Family Go Swimming in Palm Beach, Florida, April 1936
KFC1403N. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., at a Beach Near Cannes, France, 1939: July-August
KFC1635N. Kathleen Kennedy Swims in Pool at Schweppe Family Estate in Lake Forest, Illinois, July 1941
KFC1722N. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, Edward M. Kennedy, and a Friend Go Swimming in Palm Beach, Florida, December 1941-January 1942
KFC1863N. Kathleen Kennedy and Unidentified Woman Swim at Country Estate in England, ca. 1943-1944
KFC2759N. Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish and Edward M. Kennedy Play in the Pool in Palm Beach, Florida, ca. 1946-1948
KFC2776N. John F. Kennedy, Jean Kennedy, and Ethel Skakel Go Swimming in Palm Beach, Florida, ca. 1946-1948
Read more about this project on the Library’s Blog.
Here’s the scoop – this Sunday is National Ice Cream Day! In honor of this very important day, watch a *sweet* moment in Presidential history of JFK enjoying an ice cream cone given to him by his son, John Jr.
Video from the JFK Library: Hyannis Port and Squaw Island, September 6-8, 1963.
On many summer weekends, the Presidential helicopter would bring JFK to the Kennedy home in Hyannis Port. Edward M. Kennedy, JFK’s youngest brother, later recalled that the home on Cape Cod was “alive with children and good times.”
This clip is from a silent motion picture containing candid footage of JFK’s family weekend from the JFK Library: Hyannis Port, SquawIsland, Massachusetts, August 2-5, 1963.
This month’s #JFK100 theme is “candid photos,” join us for more informal videos and photos of JFK and family!
