A "Compound" Problem--Kennedy Estate in Hyannisport May Become a Museum

I have my own thoughts on this but would like to hear yours--do you think the compound should be made into a museum or should it remain private homes for the family's use?

From "The Boston Globe":

Photo of Kennedy Compound--Senator Ted Kennedy home in forefront; Ethel Kennedy's next door; former President Kennedy's home, sold to Senator Kennedy by Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, behind main house

HYANNIS PORT - For three generations, the Kennedy family has spent countless hours here tossing footballs on the beach, sailing near their collection of cottages, and producing iconic photos fit for Life magazine. They have mourned losses of loved ones in the most public fashion, and they have celebrated marriages, births, and political victories. But the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who for decades has been the glue that held the family together, closes a chapter of a storybook Camelot tale that has flourished at the end of Marchant Avenue.

Much of the Kennedy compound will probably be turned over to a national nonprofit group, possibly to be opened up as a museum or retreat center.
“My understanding is the senator wants that property to go to the public,’’ said someone close to the Kennedy family, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “He wants it to be a historic property, similar to Franklin Roosevelt’s home in Hyde Park.’’

The property, long seen as a holy site of Democratic politics, is located in a small village that has captivating views of Nantucket Sound. It is a place where bikes lie in front yards, where bougainvillea and rose bushes flutter against white picket fences, where the ocean breeze carries a salty mist.

It is where political campaigns and raceboat victories were hatched, where Senator Kennedy tossed tennis balls to his Portuguese water dogs, Sonny and Splash, where he set sail on his wooden schooner, Mya.

“It’s a place where he always gained strength,’’ said Paul G. Kirk Jr., a former Kennedy aide who is chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. “If you want to use a naval analogy, that’s his anchor.’’

Joseph P. Kennedy began renting the house, with its wide veranda and ocean views, in 1926. He bought it three years later and enlarged it to fit the large family. Two of his sons, John and Robert, purchased their own homes next door when they got older, and for 80 years the rambling white houses by the sea have been the scene of numerous moments fit for the history books.

It was in Robert’s cottage that President Kennedy and his aides watched the returns on election night. The next morning he rode in a white Lincoln to give his victory speech from the Hyannis Armory. That afternoon, they played touch football on the lawn. (Bobby’s team beat Jack’s by a single touchdown.)

The family gathered here to grieve on Thanksgiving Day in 1963, days after President Kennedy was assassinated. Senator Kennedy returned to the compound in 1969 after the funeral of Mary Jo Kopechne, emotionally shattered and prepared to resign his Senate seat and give up politics.

It was during a walk on the beach that his most trusted aide, David Burke, persuaded him to remain in the Senate and try to put the Chappaquiddick incident behind him.


When John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crashed into the ocean off Martha’s Vineyard, three priests celebrated Mass under a white tent that had been installed on the lawn for the wedding of Bobby Kennedy’s youngest child, Rory. It was Senator Kennedy who held a chalice of Communion wine while one of the priests distributed Eucharistic wafers.

“You would go to the house to drop him off, and he would be in this big rambling home, essentially by himself,’’ said one former Kennedy aide. “There were all these pictures on the walls of his dead relatives, who died too early.

The aide added: “He’s lived variously in an apartment in the Ritz; he’s got a house in Marlborough Street [in the Back Bay in Boston]; he’s got the house in Washington. But this is clearly home.’’

Because of all that history, the place is half museum and half home. In the living room, there is a couch where Rose installed a plaque to note that Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli once sat on it; he later became Pope Pius XII.

“It’s absolutely the home base for all the Kennedy family, and I think it’s been enormously significant to them and to the country,’’ said Philip W. Johnston, a longtime friend of the Kennedys. “We all think of it in a historical context, but they think of it as simply home.’’
Every year at Thanksgiving - rain or shine, warm or cold - the family goes out to sail. A group of close family friends is invited over for a meal, often accompanied by a Christmas singalong.
“The Kennedys know how to have a good party,’’ Johnston said, “which is why everybody always go back.’’

Every year, tourists make the pilgrimage to Hyannis, hoping for a glimpse of the Kennedys, a taste of their way of life. They sail into the harbor for a better look at the home.
They stop by St. Francis Xavier Church and view the pew where a plaque marks where the president sat for Mass, at the end of the row, if a quick getaway was needed.
Before the stockade fence went up years ago, people would rip shingles off the sides of the houses. Visitors would grab dirt and grass.

“It just has this mystique,’’ said Paul Traub, a 58-year-old economist from Michigan who was visiting the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, which showcases the family’s ties to Cape Cod. “Hyannis just sticks out in your mind, because of the family and the compound.’’
The guestbook at the JFK Museum along Main Street includes entries from Italy to Iowa, from Brazil to Boston. “You almost feel like you’re looking over the fence, to see these people and how they’re living,’’ said Jeff Cohen, a 47-year-old investment banker from Albany, N.Y. “It’s a living dynasty.’’

But with the death of the last son of Rose and Joe Kennedy, a piece of that dynasty ends. Ethel Kennedy, the wife of the late Robert F. Kennedy, still lives in a home on the compound. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and his wife, Maria Shriver, own a home about a block away, as does her brother Robert.
But without Teddy - the freckle-faced little brother who became the patriarch known as the Grand Fromage (French for “the big cheese’’) - something will be missing.
“Obviously it will be a significant change for the family, because the family’s love for him is as much an attraction to a physical place as to the residents and its history,’’ Kirk said. “It’s going to be different; there’s no denying that.’’

Images of Jackie's "Favorite Things" in Her Dressing Room

Jackie Kennedy once described her White House dressing room as "the only place I can really relax, read and write." She felt it's decor truly reflected her personality and aesthetic--elegant, romantic, familiar and soothing--and she filled it with family photos and french antiques, pale blue raw silk fabrics and leopard prints. (Interestingly enough, a blue chaise lounge like Jackie's--see second photo from bottom--can be purchased online at Target for $449.99) Also, like many of her later homes, the dressing room also contained a simple bulletin board with personal notes and pictures tacked onto it.

I found the wardrobe painted with images from throughout Jackie's life particularly fascinating. She told visitors the images represented "the most important events in my life" and seeing them gives some insight into what Jackie truly cherished.

Together, Jackie and french decorator, Monsieur Stephane Boudin, commissioned French artist Pierre-Marie Rudelle to create the painted trompe l'oeil doors in her White House dressing room. The only direction they gave to Rudelle were to recreate some of the photos they provided him--telling him they were "Jackie's favorite things." With Jackie looking on, the images Rudelle painted included:

- A 1935 photo of Jackie with her father after she won a rosette in a Long Island horse show

- Profiles in Courage bookjacket


- A "Look" magazine photo of her taking a tumble off her horse, "Bit of Irish"

- Her watercolor painting of the White House

- Daisies given to her by her sister

- A portrait of Caroline Kennedy as an infant

It's been awhile but I believe the wardrobe is still on display at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. I've been asked if it was sold at one of the Sotheby's Auctions--and can't be 100% certain as I don't have the catalog with me--but don't think it was. If anyone knows, it would be great to have this information! Also, if anyone has a better shot of the wardrobe which more clearly shows the drawings on it, please let me know!

Story Behind Warhol's Autographed Nude Jackie Photo

When I heard a nude photo of Jackie had been found among artist Andy Warhol's things by an archivist, I wondered if she'd posed for him. It seemed unlikely given how upset she was when Larry Flynt printed nude photos of her on Skorpios in his magazine, "Hustler."

Well, here's the story according to one of the archivists working on Warhol's estate:

And how did Warhol come to possess a naked poster of Jackie O signed, "For Andy, with enduring affection, Jackie Montauk"?

As it happens, says Wrbican – who along with other researchers authenticated the signature through handwriting comparisons – Onassis was a frequent visitor to Warhol's Montauk, N.Y., beachfront estate.

So, after her second husband, Aristotle Socrates Onassis, got a paparazzi to take pictures of her skinny-dipping and it landed in the hands of Larry Flint, who turned it into a poster for his porn magazine, Hustler, Jackie O sent a copy – likely as a joke – to Warhol, Wrbican said.
"I really doubted it was her signature at first," he says. "But it really matches her writing."

So it's not a "new" nude after all, nor is it Warhol's work. It's one of the photos from "Hustler" and Jackie apparently had more of a sense of humor about it than some of her biographers have opined.

The Ultimate Jackie Daiquiri--Her Recipe!

Is there a better drink than a daiquiri after a long summer day? OK, there may be varying opinions on this; didn't John and Carolyn like Marta's margaritas? Anyway, Jackie loved daiquiris and, in fact, concocted her own recipe and posted it for the White House assistant housekeeper to follow.

Jackie's Daiquiri

2 parts rum

2 parts frozen limeade

1 part fresh lime juice

Add a few drops of Falernum (artificial sweetener like Sweet n' Low) to taste

Jackie usually had one as her pre-dinner drink with Jack and liked it to be "not too sweet; if you are unsure, use no more than three drops of sweetener and it should be fine."

Eulogy of Jacqueline Kennedy Given by Senator Ted Kennedy

John and Caroline, Ed [Schlossberg] and Maurice [Tempelsman], members of the family, Mrs. Clinton, members of the clergy, and friends:

Last summer, when we were on the upper deck on the boat at the Vineyard, waiting for President and Mrs. Clinton to arrive, Jackie turned to me and said:
"Teddy, you go down and greet the President."
But I said: "Maurice is already there."
And Jackie answered with a smile: "Teddy, you do it. Maurice isn’t running for re-election."

She was always there for our family in her special way. She was a blessing to us and to the nation -- and a lesson to the world on how to do things right, how to be a mother, how to appreciate history, how to be courageous. No one else looked like her, spoke like her, wrote like her, or was so original in the way she did things. No one we knew ever had a better sense of self.

Eight months before she married Jack, they went together to President Eisenhower’s Inaugural Ball. Jackie said later that that’s where they decided they liked inaugurations.
No one ever gave more meaning to the title of "First Lady." The nation’s capital city looks as it does because of her. She saved Lafayette Square and Pennsylvania Avenue. The National Cultural Center was her cause before it was The Kennedy Center. Jackie brought the greatest artists to the White House, and brought the arts to the center of national attention. Today, in large part because of her inspiration and vision, the arts are an abiding part of national policy.
President Kennedy took such delight in her brilliance and her spirit. At a White House dinner, he once leaned over and told the wife of the French Ambassador, “Jackie speaks fluent French. But I only understand one out of every five words she says -- and that word is "DeGaulle.”
And then, during those four endless days in 1963, she held us together as a family and a country. In large part because of her, we could grieve and then go on. She lifted us up, and in the doubt and darkness, she gave her fellow citizens back their pride as Americans. She was then 34 years old.

Afterward, as the eternal flame she lit flickered in the autumn of Arlington Cemetery, Jack[ie] went on to do what she most wanted -- to raise Caroline and John, and warm her family’s life and that of all the Kennedys.
Robert Kennedy sustained her, and she helped make it possible for Bobby to continue. She kept Jack[’s] memory alive and he carried Jack’s mission on.
Her two children turned out to be extraordinary: honest, unspoiled, and with a character equal to hers. And she did it in the most trying circumstances. They are her two miracles.
Her love for Caroline and John was deep and unqualified. She reveled in their accomplishments; she hurt with their sorrows; she felt sheer joy and delight in spending time with them. At the mere mention of one of their names, Jackie’s eyes would shine brighter and her smile would grow bigger. She once said that if you “bungle raising your children nothing else much matters in life.” She didn’t bungle. Once again, she showed how to do the most important thing of all, and do it right.

When she went to work, Jackie became a respected professional in the world of publishing. And because of her, remarkable books came to life. And she searched out new authors and ideas. She was interested in everything. Her love of history became a devotion to historic preservation. You knew, when Jackie joined the cause to save a building in Manhattan, the bulldozers might as well turn around and go home.

She had a wonderful sense of humor -- a way of focusing on someone with total attention -- and a little girl delight in who they were and what they were saying. It was a gift of herself that she gave to others. And in spite of all of her heartache and loss, she never faltered.

I often think of what she said about Jack in December after he died: "They made him a legend, when he would have preferred to be a man." Jackie would have preferred to be just herself, but the world insisted that she be a legend too. She never wanted public notice -- in part I think, because it brought back painful memories of unbearable sorrow endured in the glare of a million lights. In all the years since then, her genuineness and depth of character continued to shine through the privacy, and reach people everywhere.

Jackie was too young to be a widow in 1963, and too young to die now. Her grandchildren were bringing new joy to her life, a joy that illuminated her face whenever you saw them together. Whether it was taking Rose and Tatiana for an ice cream cone, or taking a walk in Central Park with little Jack as she did last Sunday, she relished being "Grandjackie" and showering her grandchildren with love.

At the end, she worried more about us than herself. She let her family and friends know she was thinking of them. How cherished were those wonderful notes in her distinctive hand on her powder blue stationary. In truth, she did everything she could -- and more -- for each of us. She made a rare and noble contribution to the American spirit. But for us, most of all she was a magnificent wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, aunt, and friend.

She graced our history. And for those of us who knew and loved her -- she graced our lives.

Dear Uncle Teddy, Will You Be My Godfather Now?

All I could think about when I heard the news of Senator Ted Kennedy's passing was something I read in 2000:

One totem of their anguish hangs in family patriarch Ted Kennedy's private Senate office. On a piece of lined school paper, Caroline's youngest, who was John Jr.'s nephew and godson, wrote, "Dear Uncle Teddy, Will you be my godfather now? Love, Jack." It hangs next to a note that JFK penned as a prep school student: "Dear Mom and Dad, It is the night before exams so I will write more later. Love, Jack. P.S. Can I be godfather to the baby [Teddy]?" The answer was yes.

Dear Teddy, may you rest in peace

Senator Edward M. Kennedy

From the book "America's Queen":

After her two experiences as the wife of rich men, Jackie was determined not to repeat it. Once, in these years, she said to her friend Aileen Mehle, "Suzy," "Why don't you write about all these very prominent social women who have married vast fortunes and who are envied high and low? How everything seems wonderful on the surface but underneath life is hell, hell, hell....."And I thought," Suzy said, "Et tu, Jackie?"

Aileen/Suzy also had the opportunity to witness firsthand just how awful Jackie's life could be during her marriage to Ari Onassis. She recounts an incident at a luncheon in Florida when Ari was "downright hostile" toward his wife. "It was no surprise to see Onassis looking rumpled as usual but Jackie had obviously been to hell and back. She wore no makeup, an unbecoming cotton dress and an odd cotton scarf tied at four corners completely covering her hair. Assured of an audience, Onassis turned on her. "Look at you!" he shouted. "How can you be seen looking like that? You don't see Aileen and Gloria (Guiness, the hostess) in that kind of get-up. What is your problem?" For a moment a look of hurt and sadness crossed Jackie's face, then she deflected the situation by smiling brightly "Yes, don't they look great?" Her "problem" was staring her in the face--her husband who by now was drunk on red wine and had stumbled to the beach, curled up in a fetal position sleeping soundly.

I think--and this is my personal opinion--the way Jackie handled this hurtful situation, by complimenting the women her husband was using to criticize her, is one of the reasons she is such an enduring icon of style and, even more importantly, grace. She seldom showed her pain, rose above the in your face philandering of two husbands, and, during her marriage to Onassis, tried--even after his depression when his son died--to ignore the way he would lash out at her and comfort him, no matter what he said or did. She earned the admiration she received--not just for the way she comported herself through the President's funeral but throughout her life, always trying her best to focus on the positive.

Mystery of Jackie's Black Bag Solved!

**Note: This is the outfit Carolyn was wearing when she gave "Suzy" the dollar bill from Jackie's purse. Unfortunately, I can't make out the purse in this shot but hope someone else will be able to locate it in different views from that night. The first photo shows the bag I think was Jackie's but I could certainly use some help! :-) Thank you!


From "W" magazine's article "Stealing Beauty," September 1999:


"W" columnist Suzy:

"This is the kind of caring woman Carolyn Bessette Kennedy was. Soon after her marriage, at a party at the Whitney Museum, she asked me to stay a few more minutes before I left. 'I want to talk to you,' she said. She was carrying a black velvet bag. 'This belonged to Jackie,' she said. 'When she carried it or any other of her bags, she always tucked a dollar bill inside. I'm told she never forgot. It was a ritual. Maybe she thought it was an amulet.' Carolyn reached in the bag. 'Here is that dollar bill,' she said. (It was carefully wrapped in cellophane). 'I want you to have it as a memento. You have always been so kind to all the Kennedy family. I know you loved Jackie, and I've been told how she felt about you. She would want you to have it.' I have it. I will always have it."

Get the "Camelot" Jackie Makeup Look

In the excellent book, "Jackie Style" by Pamela Clarke Keough (still available for purchase at amazon.com!), the author enlists the help of DARAC for Prescriptives makeup to recreate some of Jackie's most famous "looks." This one instructs and illustrates how to get that Camelot style. You may have to click on the image to see it well enough to read--and if you have any problems seeing it, just let me know.

"Sea Joy" Poem by Jacqueline Bouvier, Age 10

(Click on image for a better view)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis loved literature, especially poetry. "Once you can express yourself," she wrote, "You can tell the world what you want from it...all the changes in the world, for good or evil, were first brought about by words." The poem, "Sea Joy," was written (and illustrated) by Jackie at age 10 and included in Caroline Kennedy's 2001 best-selling book, "The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis."

President Kennedy's Last Present for Jackie

Shortly before his death in November 1963, President John F. Kennedy purchased a stunning 47 carat kunzite ring for his wife. His plan was to give it to Jackie to celebrate their 10th Christmas together. After his assassination, a friend who'd been holding on to the ring for safekeeping presented it to the President's widow. It has been reported she refused to take it off for a very long time because of its sentimental value. In 1996, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and John F. Kennedy Jr. included the ring in the first Sotheby's auction where it sold for more than $420,000.00 (appraised at $8,000).

There is another story circulating about the ring and that is then-Senator Kennedy gave a kunzite ring to Jackie for their engagement, later replacing it with an emerald and diamond ring. In fact, neither Jack nor Jackie were involved in the purchase of her engagement setting. That honor belonged to Joe Kennedy, Jack's father, who selected it after looking at a tray of bands at his favorite jeweler, Van Cleef & Arpels.

The "Serendipity" Recipe Jackie Wanted But Could Never Get Has Been Revealed

This recipe from Stephen Bruce, Serendipity 3, New York, New York.

Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs, poured his liquid chocolate over bowls of snow from nearby mountaintops before whipping the mixture into a chilled froth. Five centuries later, a trio of adventurous New York City restaurateurs concocted an icy, wickedly rich confection, keeping its formula a well-guarded secret and thus guaranteeing a faithful following for the legendary dessert. Stephen Bruce, who founded Serendipity 3 with two partners in 1954, was badgered and begged for his recipe, but for decades he refused to budge - not even for the first lady Jackie Kennedy, who wanted to serve the dessert at a White House function. On the occasion of Serendipity's fiftieth anniversary, however, he finally spilled the beans. Frozen Hot Chocolate, it turns out, gets its complex flavor from a dozen different cocoas that are blended with crushed ice to the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. While an authentic reproduction would call for assembling 1/2 ounce of all twelve cocoas, this version is a little more user-friendly. Whether sipped through a straw or eaten with a spoon, it's a sweet invitation to childhood.

Ingredients:

Ganache: 3 ounces unsweetened cocoa 3 ounces sweetened cocoa 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 cup whole milk
Hot Chocolate: 1 cup whole milk 2 cups crushed ice basic whipped cream chocolate shavings for serving

Instructions:

Makes 1 Large Serving
To make the ganache, in the top of a double boiler over boiling water, combine the cocoas, sugar, and butter and melt until it forms a smooth paste. Slowly drizzle the milk into the chocolate mixture, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended and smooth as silk. Cool to room temperature.

To make the drink, combine 1/2 cup of the ganache with the milk and crushed ice in a blender and blend on high speed until the mixture if the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a large goblet, top with a mound of whipped cream, and sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Serve with 2 straws for sipping and an iced tea spoon for devouring.

What Is Jackie Doing Here???

I've always been intrigued by this photo of Jackie. What was she doing? It almost looks like she's directing a photo shoot.....and reminds me of her quote in her "Vogue" essay about wanting to be "an art director of the 20th century, hanging from an invisible chair." She certainly looks great casually reclining in a gorgeous ivory outfit. Does anyone know the story behind this photo? BTW, if you click on the photo, you will see a larger version with more detail.....

Remembering Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Jackie's relationships with the other Kennedy women didn't start out on the right note (they made fun of her "babykins" voice, large feet and caviar and wine picnic lunches). With time, however, they grew closer and their grief at Jackie's death as captured in photos taken the day of her funeral is palpable. Remembering her sister-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver spoke these words: “For us-and to my wonderful and big, extended family-Jackie always reminded us that loyalty to one another was to be fiercely practiced and protected. To America, she embodied the beauty of art, of music, of design, and, more than anything, the beauty of family. These were her gifts to us and to the world...”

Eunice Shriver died early this morning surrounded by her husband, children and grandchildren. I hadn't really thought much about it before but she was one of the last three living children of Joe and Rose Kennedy. Now, only Jean Kennedy Smith and Senator Ted Kennedy remain along with a handful of surviving spouses--Ethel (Bobby), Sargent (Eunice), Joan and Victoria (Ted).

Barbara Gibson, Rose Kennedy's secretary, profiled Eunice in her book "Life with Rose Kennedy" and I think parts of it are worth sharing: "Eunice was the one most like her mother and they were very close. Eunice's need to stay active every waking moment of her life struck others as obsessive. It was as if she were competing not really with others, but with something inside herself; it seemed she was trying to prove something to herself all the time.....Nonetheless, she was always a devoted daughter and excellent mother who was never fazed by life. When she was running late one Sunday morning and Rose left for Mass without her, Eunice walked out onto Ocean Boulevard (this was in West Palm Beach) and stopped traffic until she found a ride. The driver who took her to church was dumbfounded; Eunice didn't give it a second thought."

Anzu Cards

Every once in awhile, someone comes a long and goes the extra mile! A couple weeks ago, I posted about the company Anzu and their "So Jackie O" cards. I wrote to Anzu, telling them how in love with their designs I was. In response, they sent me a selection of "So Jackie O" cards and even a journal!



These are the most BEAUTIFUL cards ever. I am so sad they are only available in the UK to purchase or I would buy the store out!



Thank you so much Anzu!



To visit Anzu's site, CLICK HERE!

You Write the Caption: Jackie Hanging Out in a Store Window

What on earth is Jackie doing? Only caption that came to my mind was "how much is that Jackie in the window?" I'm hoping one of you will be able to come up with something better! Give it a try.......

Jackie and Lee Wearing Same (or Very Similar) Outfits

Sisters with similar styles from childhood on....... "In Her Sister's Shadow: An Intimate Portrait of Lee Radziwill" is a very good read, by the way. Has anyone else read it? If so, what did you think of the way the sisters were portrayed?

Jacqueline Kennedy Coat Worn at Swearing In Ceremony

While recuperating from John's birth, Jacqueline Kennedy and designer Oleg Cassini conspired to create an outfit that would really stand out at President Kennedy's swearing in ceremony. Cassini later said "she knew that most of the ladies would be wearing fur coats and didn't want to blend in." They also felt wearing a fabric coat would be more youthful and au courant. By the way, the official color for this coat was "greige," which would later become one of Jacqueline Kennedy's favorite hues--a mix of grey and beige.

Jackie did indeed capture the nations' attention by donning a greige wool dress with matching coat. The coat had a small sable fur collar, and a matching sable fur muff was chosen to help keep the First Lady's hands warm during the ceremony. She wore the muff over long kidskin gloves and, on her feet, wore black heels which she later changed to fur trimmed boots better suited for walking in the snow on that bitterly cold day-- a -7 wind chill was reported at the time of the ceremony. A woman who saw this outfit in the exhibit "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years," reported that what surprised her the most was how thin the material on the coat was when she saw it on display, saying "she must have been freezing!"