The American elite have bred an idiomatic aristocratic culture that has not ceased to fascinate me at every turn. Their iconic aesthetic and the symbols of their leisure remain in the wellspring of the American imagination and have inspired other cultures as disparate as the Japanese and the English.
The symbols of their privilege have filled our cultural and sartorial lexicons with fanciful images of New England homes, yachting, all white cotton outfits, tennis, Ralph Lauren, a love of all natural fabrics and preparatory schools besieged in winding ivy.
Here is a man whose privilege and stature personified
American Prep, and whose rise to power fit snugly into the mold of the making of American Presidents.
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| circa 1946 John F. Kennedy and brother Edward M. Kennedy aboard "Victura", Kennedy's sailboat, at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. |
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| Lt. (jg) John F. Kennedy aboard the PT-109 in the South Pacific, 1943 |
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| Tulagi, Solomon Islands. PT Boat Officers (L-R) James ("Jim") Reed, John F. ("Jack") Kennedy, George ("Barney") Ross [rear], and Paul ("Red") Fay, circa 1943 |
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| Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. with sons Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (left) and John F. Kennedy (right). Palm Beach, Florida, 1931. Photograph by E. F. Foley 1931 |
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| John, Robert and Teddy Kennedy in Hyannis Port, 1948. | | |
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| A Christmas Card made by John and his Friends |
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| Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., and John F. Kennedy arriving at Southampton, England, July 2, 1938. |
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| April 1957 Robert, John, and Edward Kennedy in the surf at Palm Beach, Florida, April 1957 |
Via http://www.jfklibrary.org
i got a boner! this is a much better alternative to the dinklewuss twins!
ReplyDeletejoseph kennedy was a rum runner during prohibition. what a cool occupation.
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