History In Ink®  Historical Autographs


1831401

John F. Kennedy

Sargent Shriver

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Dramatic candid photograph of President Kennedy and Sargent Shriver

inscribed and signed by both

John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1917–1963, 35th President of the United States, and Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., 1915–2011, American politician, activist, and diplomat 8” x 10” black-and-white photograph inscribed and signed John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver.

This dramatic candid photograph of President John F. Kennedy and his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, conveys the speed and urgency with which the Kennedy Administration moved to establish the Peace Corps, which Shriver led.  It shows the President in the lead, moving ahead, with Shriver following closely behind him.

The photo is an approximately 8” x 10” black-and-white photograph.  Kennedy has inscribed and signed it For Charles Pell / with best regards / John Kennedy in black fountain pen, and Shriver has similarly inscribed and signed it Best wishes to / Charles Pell / Sargent Shriver in black ballpoint.

On March 1, 1961, less than six weeks after his inauguration, Kennedy established the Peace Corps by an executive order and appointed Shriver, the husband of his sister Eunice, as its director.  Congress followed by formally passing the Peace Corps Act on September 21, 1961.  It was the culmination of an idea that Kennedy announced during the 1960 presidential campaign.  Shriver and those who worked under him fleshed out the organization’s goals and established the initial number of volunteers.

Shriver later served as the United States Ambassador to France and was the 1972 Democratic vice presidential nominee, running with Senator George McGovern.

The photo is framed in a silver wood frame with an easel back so that it can sit on a desk or a table.  We understand that the framing is archival, and there is a sticker on the back stating that the photo has been glazed with conservation glass.  Although Kennedy and Shriver have signed in dark areas, the inscriptions and signatures are still nicely readable, particularly with proper lighting.  The faces of Kennedy and Shriver in the darkness give this a strikingly bold effect. 

We have not examined the photo out of the frame, but it appears to be in fine to very fine condition.  We can see a light diagonal crease across the extreme upper right corner and a small handling mark in the dark area of the lower right, neither of which detracts from the photo. 

We do not recall ever seeing another dual signed photograph of Kennedy and Shriver.  This piece belongs in the finest of Kennedy or presidential collections.

 

This item has been sold.

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