286 - Rose Kennedy Oversized Signed Photograph of JFK to His Cousin Ann Gargan

Rose Kennedy Oversized Signed Photograph of JFK to His Cousin Ann Gargan Vintage matte-finish 17 x 11.5 photo of John F. Kennedy on the dunes near Hyannis Port, originally taken by Mark Shaw in 1959 and printed circa 1970s, signed and inscribed in blue ballpoint by his mother to his cousin Ann Gargan, "To Ann & Tom, With love, Aunt Rose." In very good to fine condition, with uniform toning. This portrait was part of Shaw’s intimate 'Life With the Kennedys' series and was reportedly one of Kennedy’s favorite photographs of himself. Its quiet, informal mood reflects the unusual access Shaw enjoyed to the Kennedy family and the candid style that later defined his bestselling 1964 book, The John F. Kennedys: A Family Album. Ann Gargan was JFK’s first cousin, the daughter of Rose Kennedy’s younger sister, Agnes Fitzgerald Gargan. Orphaned at a young age, Ann and her siblings remained closely connected to the Kennedy family, spending considerable time with their cousins at Hyannis Port and other family homes. She later became a devoted caretaker to her uncle, Joseph P. Kennedy, remaining at the former ambassador’s side during the years of disability that followed his 1961 stroke; through her, JFK maintained an especially personal connection to his ailing father.