First Ladies Historian to Give Talk on Jacqueline Kennedy Biography
Plus, save the date: First Ladies Association for Research and Education to host a virtual live ceremony honoring the 2023 recipient of the Gould Award.
Calendar
Sept. 14, 2023
"Camera Girl" Author Talk and Book Signing With Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Tickets are available for an evening at the National First Ladies Library, for a discussion with first ladies historian Carl Sferrazza Anthony, author of the best-selling book Camera Girl, an illuminating biography of the young Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. The book covers her formative adventures abroad in Paris; her life as a writer and photographer in a Washington, D.C., newspaper; and her romance with a dashing, charismatic Massachusetts congressman who shared her intellectual passion. Attendees will also be able to view the ongoing exhibit, “Beyond Camelot: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis” National First Ladies Library. Read more
Sept. 18, 2023
Save the Date: Prestigious Gould Award Recipient to be Announced
The First Ladies Association for Research and Education will be hosting a virtual live ceremony honoring the 2023 recipient of the Gould Award. The ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 18, and can be viewed on Facebook or YouTube.
Viewers of the ceremony will be among the first to find out who is honored with this year's award presented to a member of FLARE who has, in the course of their career, made distinguished contributions to the field of first lady research and education.
Sept. 18, 2023
Martha Washington and Other Stories by Engage at the Bush Center
Colonial Williamsburg brings Thomas Jefferson, Martha Washington, James Armistead Lafayette, and Ann Wager – key figures from the founding of America – to the Bush Center in a family friendly and educational edition of Engage. Guests will meet and interact with Colonial Williamsburg “Nation Builders” portraying real historic people associated with 18th-century Williamsburg, Virginia, who made significant contributions to the American story. Read more
Sept. 21, 2023
Third Thursdays with the First Ladies Featuring Jackie Kennedy
Visitors to the National First Ladies Library, 205 Market Ave. S, in Canton, Ohio, can enjoy food and drink and a curator talk about former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Read more
Sept. 25-28, 2023
Presidential Sites Summit Comes to Washington, D.C.
The White House Historical Association will host the Presidential Sites Summit from Sept. 25 through 28 at the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Sessions include “U.S. First Ladies: Making History and Leaving Legacies,” a panel made up of several founding members of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) to learn more about their new book; and “Entertaining at the White House,” a discussion about the White House as a stage for hospitality and diplomacy with former social secretaries from the Obama, Reagan and George W. Bush administrations lead by moderator Anita McBride, chair of the Presidential Sites Summit Committee.
The summit is designed for site leaders to share the management and outreach of presidential libraries, historic homes, and museums. Read more
September 30, 2023
Gala to Commemorate 10th Anniversary of the George Washington Presidential Library
Tickets are now available for the 10th anniversary of the George Washington Presidential Library. The Regent and Vice Regents of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association will be hosting a benefit gala on Sept. 30 at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, in Mount Vernon, Virginia. The event will include a black-tie dinner on the mansion's east lawn, featuring performances from the American Pops Orchestra, private after-hours tours of the Mansion, a sunset reception overlooking the Potomac River, and dancing. Read more
Oct. 28, 2023
Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon
Tickets are now on sale for the Halloween celebration “Trick-or-Treating at Mount Vernon” with 18th-century entertainment and activities. During this event, children can collect candy, join in a costume parade, meet General Washington, and enjoy musical entertainment. Tickets are limited and can be purchased here.
Nov. 4, 2023
Sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush Celebrate New Children’s Book
“Love Comes First,” a new children’s book authored by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, will be discussed in a special event at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. This event is currently sold out, but those interested can be placed on a waitlist if more tickets are released. Signed books are still available. Read more
Nov. 16, 2023
Historian to Give Talking Tour of the Kennedy Restoration of the White House
Historian James Archer Abbott will present an illustrated discussion of The White House as “reimagined and reinterpretted” for President John F. Kennedy and wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy on Nov. 16 at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri. The event is free. Abbott is the lead author of “Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration and Its Legacy.” Read more
Dec. 5, 2023
White House History Live: The Washingtons, the Custises, and the Making of America
Learn more about the history of the nation’s “first family” during a White House Historical Association Facebook and YouTube Live event. The program will trace George Washington’s step grandchildren, the Custises, from childhood celebrities to carriers of the Washington legacy in nineteenth century America. Author Cassandra Good will discuss her book, “First Family,” sharing insights on writing the story of this historic family.
The program is part of the White House Live series and explores the stories that make up the history of the executive mansion and can be live streamed on the White House Historical Association's Facebook and YouTube pages starting at 5:30 pm ET on December 5. Read more
On exhibit through April 27, 2024
Beyond Camelot: The Life and Legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Visitors to the National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio, can explore a replica of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown designed by Anne Lowe and other never-before-seen artifacts donated by Monte Durham of Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta. The free exhibition runs through April 27, 2024 and is open to the public. Read more
Online Exhibit
Learn About Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 1995 United Nations Address and How it Almost Never Happened
Visitors to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum can experience an iconic speech given by former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in an online exhibit called “Women’s rights are human rights, once and for all”: The First Lady’s International Rallying Cry from Beijing. Clinton, who also served as U.S. secretary of State, presidential candidate, and U.S. senator, delivered her remarks before representatives from 189 nations at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. Audience members gave her a “thunderous ovation,” according to the website. View here
Podcasts
New: What Spooky Novels Did Martha Washington Enjoy Reading?
The latest episode of the podcast and video series Secrets of Washington's Archives digs into Martha Washington's copy of the gothic novel The Children of the Abbey, written by Regina Maria Roche in 1796. Listen here or watch the video
Faith and Freedom
This full-length podcast episode presented by George Washington’s Mount Vernon explores a set of prayer books belonging to Martha Washington and her granddaughters. Listeners can learn from resource specialist Jennifer Seiter what the Washington family heirloom reveals about the sweeping religious changes happening in the United States during the early Republic and George Washington’s own commitment to religious freedom. Listen here
Learn About Jaqueline Kennedy’s Friend and Rose Garden Designer “Bunny” Mellon
Last month, The White House Historical Association released a new podcast from The White House 1600 Sessions series featuring a conversation with Thomas Lloyd, author and member of the Association’s National Council, about his book “Garden Secrets of Bunny Mellon.”
In the episode, Stewart McLaurin, president of the association, travels to the home of Rachel Lambert “Bunny” Mellon, philanthropist, stylemaker and renowned gardener, to meet with Lloyd, Mrs. Mellon’s grandson, to talk about her most famous design— refurbishing the White House Rose Garden. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, a close friend of Mellon, handcrafted a memory book for her, which also is discussed in the podcast. Listen here
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