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    Home  >  Press Room  >  Changing Exhibits  > First Ladies

    First Ladies: Political Role & Public Image

    October 5 through December 31, 2007

    From October 5 through December 31, 2007, the National Constitution Center will host First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image. From the exuberant Dolley Madison and troubled Mary Todd Lincoln, to the humanitarian Eleanor Roosevelt and the intriguing wives of our recent presidents, the exhibition celebrates the remarkable individuals who have occupied this demanding post.

    Press Releases

    Images
    All images can be downloaded as high resolution TIFF or JPEG files via FTP. Access information:

    server: ftp.si.edu
    username: sitesguest
    password: 9getfiles9

    Caption: Pink and charcoal gray piña cloth evening gown presented to Mamie Eisenhower by wife of Philippine president Carlos Garcia in 1958.

    Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History

    Caption: Eleanor Roosevelt’s public service did not end when her husband died in 1945. Her long involvement with
    humanitarian issues led President Truman to appoint her as a delegate to the newly created United Nations where she led
    the struggle to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

    Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

    Caption: Jacqueline Kennedy at a 1961 reception for Latin American diplomats. The simple A-line clothes designed by Oleg Cassini
    for Jackie Kennedy became known as the “Kennedy look.” Her grey brocade silk dress with matching jacket is included
    in the exhibition.

    © Bettmann/CORBIS

    Caption: Laura Bush brought the White House a lifelong commitment to reading, education, and libraries. As first lady, she has
    staunchly supported her husband’s agenda for education reform. In February 2001, she announced her Ready to Read, Ready to Learn initiative at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Hyattsville, Maryland.

    White House photo by Carol Powers.

    Caption: French porcelain dinner plate, fruit basket, and dessert plate from the Polk state china service.

    Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of American
    History

    Caption: From the beginning of their marriage, Woodrow Wilson took his second wife into his confidence. The severe stroke suffered
    by the president in 1919 drew the couple even closer together. Acting beyond the usual boundaries of the first lady’s role,
    Edith Wilson managed executive affairs from his bedside.

    Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
    Division

    Richard Avedon: The Kennedys - Portrait of a Family
    From October 5 through December 2, 2007, the National Constitution Center will host The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family Photographs by Richard Avedon. Acclaimed photographer Richard Avedon's never before displayed photographs of John and Jacqueline Kennedy and their two children combine politics, style, and photographic history to provide a compelling glimpse of these American icons. The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family will be on display inside the Center’s main exhibition, and is free with regular museum admission. This exhibit coincides with the Center’s showing of the First Ladies: Political Role and Public Image exhibition.

    > Read the Avedon press release

    Related Links:
    8MB JPEG - Jacqueline Kennedy holding John F. Kennedy, Jr., January 3, 1961. From The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family by Richard Avedon, Collins Design, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, © 2007 Smithsonian Institution.
    5MB JPEG - Front jacket of The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family by Richard Avedon, Collins Design, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, © 2007 Smithsonian Institution.


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