Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, JFK items being auctioned

Published: 05-12-2017 12:18 AM

NEW YORK — A watercolor painting by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the former first lady’s Cartier watch, and a hand-annotated speech by John F. Kennedy that he later incorporated into his “Profiles in Courage” are being auctioned.

The then-first lady, who painted as a hobby, created the 6½-inch by 8-inch artwork in 1963 as a gift for her brother-in law, Stanislaw Radziwill, Christie’s said Thursday. Radziwill gave her the watch.

The JFK speech manuscript is one of several Kennedy-related items, including Jacqueline Kennedy’s maternity dress, up for auction starting Thursday and ending May 18 by Boston-based RR Auction in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the former president’s birth.

The painting and watch commemorate a 50-mile hike that Radziwill undertook as part of JFK’s physical fitness initiative. The first lady briefly joined the hike.

The painting depicts Radziwill walking with a Kennedy family friend.

The items are being offered as a single lot at a June 21 sale in New York. The presale estimate is $60,000 to $120,000.

The seller is anonymous. Part of the proceeds will benefit the National Endowment for the Arts.

The typed JFK manuscript is a page from a 1955 speech the then-U.S. Senator from Massachusetts gave at the Sigma Delta Chi Journalism Fraternity at the University Club in Boston in October 1955. Kennedy underlined several phrases in pencil and made a few deletions.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Holyoke man finds bear paw in his yard
Boyfriend accused in slaying of Hampden sheriff’s assistant, former legislator’s top aide
Three finalists named for Ryan Road School principal in Northampton
Developer pitches new commercial building on Route 9 in Hadley
Two men dump milk, orange juice over themselves at Amherst convenience store
Sadiq to leave Amherst middle school principal role

Some quotes featured in the speech were later published in the 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Profiles in Courage.”

]]>