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Image of President and Mrs. Kennedy meeting a woman at Love Field
Image of President and Mrs. Kennedy meeting a woman at Love Field

Image of President and Mrs. Kennedy meeting a woman at Love Field

Object number1994.003.0008.0006
Date11/22/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer Tom C. Dillard
ObjectNegative (b&w)
Credit LineTom C. Dillard Collection, The Dallas Morning News/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions15/16 × 1 7/16 in. (2.4 × 3.6 cm)
DescriptionOriginal black and white 35mm negative by Dallas Morning News chief photographer Tom Dillard. The image is a close-up of President and Mrs. Kennedy greeting a woman, possibly the wife of J. Erik Jonsson, on the tarmac at Love Field on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Mrs. Kennedy carries the roses given to her by Mrs. Dearie Cabell, and Air Force One can be seen in the background.
Curatorial Commentary
The Museum is frequently asked about the fate of Mrs. Kennedy's distinctive pink suit worn on November 22, 1963. The double-breasted wool suit is often called a "Chanel suit," though it was actually a line-for-line copy made by New York City company Chez Ninon and approved by Chanel. Mrs. Kennedy was photographed wearing the suit on several occasions prior to the fateful day of the assassination. As to its whereabouts today, although it has long been in the care of the National Archives, the suit was formally donated to the Archives by Caroline Kennedy in 2003 with the stipulation that it may not be publicly displayed until at least 2103, one hundred years after the donation, when display may then be approved by the Kennedy family. The stipulation against display, per the gift agreement, is to not "dishonor the memory" of President or Mrs. Kennedy or "cause any grief or suffering to" the Kennedy family. Today, the suit is stored in a custom-made, acid-free box with temperature and humidity control at the National Archives and Records Administration's College Park facility in Maryland. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator