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Jackie getting used to the close-knit camaraderie of her new family before they cut the wedding cake.
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American dynasties are an anomaly in the extreme, and among them no family name stirs emotion over the past century as does that of Kennedy. We were reminded of this once more as the last surviving brother of the clan’s storied generation, Edward Moore Kennedy, passed on on August 25, 2009, at 77 years old.
Their story is iconic. You couldn’t have made it up; it’s a narrative in every sense as mythic and dramatic as the American dream itself—the ascension from poverty, the reign in Washington, the tragic deaths, the weekends in the Cape. They were not only prominent in politics, but in fashion. The Kennedys were the best dressed family America has ever witnessed. Their family portrait essentially sits next to “Ivy League style” in the fashion dictionary. Style weaved in and out of the Kennedy tapestry. Jackie O. was a style icon in her own right, rubbing elbows and summering in Lilly Pulitzer dresses, her friend and classmate from Porter’s. Jack, Bobby and Ted embodied the American look in their elegant, hardworking clothes that lasted decades, not just a season. Cable knit sweaters, polos, herringbone blazers, madras shorts—the Kennedys made history in these iconic pieces. +
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Palm Beach in the 1930’s
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver (July 10, 1921 – August 11, 2009)
- Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 5, 1968)
- Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009)
- Jean Kennedy Smith (February 20, 1928 — )
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From left to right: Joseph Jr., Eunice, Rose, Bobby, JFK (back), Teddy, Joseph Sr., Kathleen (back), Patricia, Rosemary (back), and Jean.
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Patricia, their mother Rose, and Teddy Kennedy in the mid-1970s.
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Campaign manager Robert Kennedy and Senator John F. Kennedy steal a moment to talk to one another during the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles (1960).
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Jean, Rosemary, and Jack Kennedy in London in 1940.
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Rosemary Kennedy, 21, to Joseph P. Kennedy
April 4th, 1940
Darling Daddy,
Many thanks for coming tosee on Friday. You were darling.
I hope you liked every-thing here. —- And. the . chats with me, and Mother. Esbelle. Just. liked to know if you would like me to stay with you at. Easter. Or go to Hereford. It is up to you. Mother says I am such a comfort to you. Never . to leave you. Well Daddy. I feel honour because you chose me to stay . And . the others suppose are wild. — Let . me know tuesday about the arragements .or . Sunday night with you . telephone me. I . would to talk to you very much.
Much, love,
Rosemary
PS I am so fond of you. And. Love you very much. Sorry . to think that I am fat. you think. —
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The first half of the children that would be born to Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. from left to right: Joseph Patrick. Jr., John Fitzgerald, Rosemary, Kathleen, and Eunice Kennedy.
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![Pictured above from left to right is Bobby, Kathleen, and Teddy in the late 1930’s.
Robert Kennedy, aged 10, to Joseph P. KennedyBronxville, May 11th, 1936Dear Daddy, Have you seen any Movie stars?Do you like California?* I took my baby Rabbits out to day And I am going to start selling them. Have you see Jack? give my love to him and tell him I’ll write him. Ask him if he thinks I will like the wild and wooly west.I want to Doctor Cloney on Sat. and he said I will not need a turtle [mouth retainer] any more. I got a post card from Mother We also got a cable from her and she said she was very excitedWe are having the final tests in school and I hope I passLots of love to Jack and yourself Bobby*Joseph P. Kennedy spent most of the month in Los Angeles as Adolf Zukor, chairman of the board of Paramount Pictures, had commissioned his assessment of the company’s dire financial condition.— Edward Kennedy, aged 4, to Joseph P Kennedy(He dictated this letter to his nanny Kikoo)Dear Daddy, Everybody in the world is good but Jeannie [his older sister]. Jean is good sometimes too. Bobby sold some rabbits and when you come home you’ll see. Kikoo is home now. When are you going to telephone me again? Eddie [Edward Moore, his namesake] took me to see the fishes, but, the place wasn’t open, so we fed the pigeons and they came right near me. That’s all XX XXXLove, Teddy](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l68txvST0f1qzep2bo1_500.jpg)
Pictured above from left to right is Bobby, Kathleen, and Teddy in the late 1930’s.
Robert Kennedy, aged 10, to Joseph P. Kennedy
Bronxville, May 11th, 1936
Dear Daddy,
Have you seen any Movie stars?
Do you like California?* I took my baby Rabbits out to day And I am going to start selling them. Have you see Jack? give my love to him and tell him I’ll write him. Ask him if he thinks I will like the wild and wooly west.
I want to Doctor Cloney on Sat. and he said I will not need a turtle [mouth retainer] any more.
I got a post card from Mother We also got a cable from her and she said she was very excited
We are having the final tests in school and I hope I pass
Lots of love to Jack and yourself Bobby
*Joseph P. Kennedy spent most of the month in Los Angeles as Adolf Zukor, chairman of the board of Paramount Pictures, had commissioned his assessment of the company’s dire financial condition.
—
Edward Kennedy, aged 4, to Joseph P Kennedy
(He dictated this letter to his nanny Kikoo)
Dear Daddy,
Everybody in the world is good but Jeannie [his older sister]. Jean is good sometimes too. Bobby sold some rabbits and when you come home you’ll see. Kikoo is home now. When are you going to telephone me again? Eddie [Edward Moore, his namesake] took me to see the fishes, but, the place wasn’t open, so we fed the pigeons and they came right near me. That’s all XX XXX
Love,
Teddy
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Lovely shot of eldest son Joseph Jr., and Bobby looking suave in the late 1930’s. In the boat are the aforementioned siblings noted in the previous post.
