What Jill Biden’s Vogue Cover Really Tells Us About First Ladies
Diana Carlin, first ladies scholar and author, traces the familiar paths of presidential wives by breaking down this 'rare' Vogue cover story.
The day after Fourth of July, Diana Carlin scoured newsstands for the August issue of Vogue, only to come up empty-handed. The day before, she had sat on a stage alongside Jennifer Coolidge Harville, the great-granddaughter of former First Lady Grace Coolidge during an Independence Day celebration focusing on Coolidge and presidential first ladies that was hosted by the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation in Vermont.
Meanwhile, the world was still reeling from President Joe Biden’s unexpectedly poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump, which was followed by a surprising reveal of Vogue’s August cover story featuring First Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The political landscape has since changed again in the wake of an assassination attempt on Trump Saturday. But, Vogue’s cover story offers a glimpse into daily life of a first lady that scholars and historians crave.
The cover …
