May 2018 Auction Ends Thursday, May 31st, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/31/2018
Extraordinary photo album belonging to John F. Kennedy's White House photographer, Cecil W. Stoughton, who records the moments of Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration aboard Air Force One after JFK was assassinated. Photo album consists of 17 photos, most of which are numbered, beginning with LBJ and others waiting in the small 16 sq. ft. stateroom aboard AF1 for Jackie Kennedy to arrive, then LBJ taking the oath of office, flanked by Jackie and his wife Lady Bird, and then several people comforting Jackie, finishing with Lady Bird smiling after her husband is inaugurated President, in what must have been a bittersweet moment for her and the new President.
Only one photo of the inauguration was officially published by Stoughton, the iconic shot capturing LBJ with his right hand raised, as a stunned Jackie Kennedy looks on. These photos, from Stoughton's personal collection and unpublished, complete the encounter and offer a more personal perspective, with closer shots on the faces of Jackie, LBJ and Lady Bird, as well as the other individuals in the room, some of whom look straight into Stoughton's camera; Lady Bird, in particular, gives a pointed glance to the camera in one of the photos. Of the event, Stoughton said that while he was uncomfortable taking the photos, he believed he needed to document it as an important record of history.
In addition to Jackie, who looks stunned and distraught throughout the montage, and the new President, who appears serious and stoic, the following individuals are captured in the stateroom to witness the event: Lady Bird, Malcolm Kilduff (JFK's Press Secretary), Jack Valenti (Media Adviser), Judge Sarah T. Hughes who administered the oath of office, Congressman Albert Richard Thomas, Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry, Evelyn Lincoln (JFK's Secretary), Congressman Homer Thornberry, Roy Kellerman and Lem Johns (Secret Service agents), Pamela Turnure (Jackie's Press Secretary), Congressman Jack Brooks, and Bill Moyers (Peace Corps deputy director).
All glossy photos measure 10'' x 8'', with most numbered and annotated on the verso in pencil. Photos are all bound in a custom red leather photo album, tooled on the spine with Stoughton's initials, ''CWS'' and ''INAUGURATION NOV. 1963''. Light edge wear to some of the photos, overall in very good condition.
Cecil W. Stoughton's Personal Photo Album, Storing 17 of His Photos of LBJ's Inauguration Aboard Air Force One, With Johnson Taking the Oath of Office as a Stunned Jackie Kennedy Looks On
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