#9781 • Jacqueline Kennedy Personally Owned Bathing Suit

Part of Music & Hollywood Icons Historical Occasion (timed auction by GWS Auctions)

Starting at $1.00

Status: Sold

Est. $10,000-$12,000 Jacqueline Kennedy Personally Owned "Rose Marie Reid of California" One-Piece Bathing Suit - This piece is a "Rose Marie Reid of California" one-piece bathing suit, which was personally owned by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The bathing suit is a creme colored cotton, and has an ornate gray "Camelot" style motif. The suit has narrow shoulder straps which fasten inside at the back, elasticized side shirring with back zipper, and a nylon zipper. The bathing suit was owned by Jacqueline Kennedy, before she gave it to Mary Gallagher, who was her personal secretary from 1957 to 1964. The suit was previously sold in Hantman's "Jackie & John Kennedy Documents & Artifacts" auction in 2003, and will come with an information card from Hantman's. Measurements (approximate): 22" long, 30" bust (no size label present). Please note: there are a few rust stains present on the outside and inside of the fabrics (presumably from the zipper). Jacqueline Kennedy was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. She served as the First Lady of the United States from 1961, until Kennedy's assassination in 1963. As First Lady, she was known for her highly publicized restoration of the White House and her emphasis on arts and culture. She is remembered for her lifelong contributions to the arts and preservation of historic architecture, as well as for her style, elegance, and grace, and ranks as one of the most popular First Ladies and in 1999 was named on Gallup's list of Most Admired Men and Women in 20th-century America. She is praised for her strength and quick thinking during the time of her husband's assassination, as she came up with the "Camelot" myth just four days after his death. She imagined and artfully circulated it in those grief-filled days following her husband’s death, to assure that he was not forgotten, but remembered how she wanted him to be remembered.