Photograph Signed “For Hickman Price - / with esteem and best wishes / John Kennedy” as President. Color, 8” x 10” affixed to 9.75” x 12.5” matte (visible). In a gilt frame, 18” x 27.75”. In apparent fine condition.

This photograph was originally taken by L. Fabian Bachrach (1917-2010) in black & white. It was cropped and the resulting formal portrait of President Kennedy was approved by the White House. From JFKlibrary.org: “Taken by Louis Fabian Bachrach in 1961, this formal portrait of John F. Kennedy is widely considered to be the definitive portrait of the President.”

On July 14, 1961, Bachrach wrote Commander Tazewell T. Shepard, Naval Aide to the President, in part, “I have had no news as yet from you about the colour print of President Kennedy which we delivered to you back in March. You will recall that this was the pose which was approved in black and white, and which was coloured by our artist in a smooth technique to look very much like a dye transfer print … I noticed it was reproduced in colour in a Spanish magazine very recently – the Blanco y Negro, published in Madrid on June 3…” Photocopies of this letter and the magazine cover are present. The black & white JFK photo is one of 18 presidential portraits depicted on his letterhead.

On July 20th, Cmdr. Shepard wrote Bachrach, “The President intends to limit the use of his colored photographs, distributing them only to close friends and the highest officials of the government. He asked me to have as small number of prints made from your picture…” Photocopy of retained carbon is present. Hickman Price, Jr. (1911-1989) was JFK’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce from 1961 to 1963.

PSA has assigned a perfect autograph grade of 10 to the Kennedy signature and the piece has PSA/DNA LOA # (AA05766) for the authentication.

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