DescriptionPostcard of a wax museum rendering of Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidential swearing-in on Air Force One. It shows a wax figure of Lyndon B. Johnson, with his left hand on a bible held by Judge Sarah Hughes. He holds his right hand up as he takes the oath. His wife Lady Bird stands slightly behind him. The walls of the room are outfitted with blue curtains and curved to look like the inside of an airplane.
The back of the postcard reads:
"PARADE OF PRESIDENTS WAX MUSEUM
Near Mount Rushmore, Keystone, S.D."
"36th President
Lyndon B. Johnson
2 Terms 1963-1969
At heavily guarded Love Field in Dallas, Lyndon Johnson stands with his wife in the cabin of Air Force One and is sworn in as the 36th President of the United States by Judge Sarah Hughs, just hours after the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963."
"Rushmore Photo, Inc. Box 2624, Rapid City, S. Dakota"
This image is not available online larger than a thumbnail to protect the copyright of its creator(s). For a more detailed examination of this item, please schedule an appointment in the Museum’s Reading Room.
Curatorial Commentary
The swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson aboard Air Force One was one of those momentous events that wax museums around the country tried to replicate in the aftermath of the Kennedy assassination. Such displays were based upon the photographic series taken by White House photographer Cecil Stoughton during the brief swearing-in ceremony. A nearly identical display was also part of the Southwestern Historical Wax Museum in Dallas (later Grand Prairie, Texas). The Dallas exhibit was destroyed by fire in 1988.
This wax tableau was part of the Parade of Presidents Wax Museum when it opened in 1971. Unlike most of the wax museums opened in the 1960s and 1970s, this particular museum is still open for business. Now called the National Presidential Wax Museum, visitors in 2012 can still see this original wax display. Since the production of this post card, however, a figure of grief-stricken Jackie Kennedy has been added to the scene. In this same wax museum, visitors can also encounter a vignette depicting President Kennedy and his son inside the Oval Office (2011.048.0001). - Stephen Fagin, Associate Curator
