Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, JFK items being auctioned
NEW YORK — A watercolour 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 6 1/2-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.