Babe Ruth 100th Anniversary Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2014
This is one of the most tremendous Kennedy signed items ever offered, and by our and experts' we consulted recollection, the ONLY authenticated dual signed photo of the Kennedy brothers we know of. It derives from the personal collection of 1940s-1970s heralded news photographer Terence McCarten, and consigned directly by his family.
Terence McCarten was a staff photographer for the New York Herald Tribune early in his career, winning some awards for “human interest” photos on the streets of the Big Apple. He was also a huge horse racing fan and took many images (some award winning) of horses and racing at the track. Mr. McCarten was personal friends with Nat Fein, who also worked for the Herald Tribune, and was creator of baseball’s greatest photograph, “The Babe Bows Out.” (Interestingly, our LIVE auction contains an original Nat Fein Babe Ruth image, which is also consigned by the McCarten family).
Over the years of his long photographic career, Mr. McCarten gravitated to political images, and began following the careers of the Kennedy family, specifically John F. Kennedy and his younger brother Robert Kennedy. While covering the Kennedy brothers during JFK’s 1960 Presidential campaign, Mr. McCarten became close friends with the Kennedy brothers (as did Nat Fein), and would often accompany them on boating trips and family special events.
This photo shows both brothers in the Oval Office each smiling, which at that time was a rarity as many conflicts arose during JFK’s Presidency and some very famous photos show the brothers during tense moments. This photo was taken at the height of their political fame, with JFK as President and RFK as Attorney General. Each Kennedy has signed and inscribed the photo boldly in black fountain pen. Bobby writes “To Terence With Thanks Robert Kennedy” while the President pens “To Terence McCarten With Ever Good Wishes John F. Kennedy.” The RFK signature has some lightness in the last name (“7/10”), however, the JFK signature and inscription is about as good as it gets (“9/10”).
The rarity of this dual signed, original photo cannot be overststated. We consulted with heads of other auction houses to determine if they had ever seen an authentic dual signed Kennedy brothers photograph for sale, and none had. We then contacted the experts at PSA and they proclaimed they had never seen, heard of , or authenticated another!
The 7-5/8” x 9-1/2” photo is affixed to a sturdy cardboard mount, which contains some light crinkling around the periphery. In addition, the original contact sheet accompanies this signed photograph, comprised of 11 separate Kennedy brother images, with this photo located at the top right. Contact sheets are photos of actual strips of film shot that day, as to let the photographer look at all the images at one time to determine which photographs would be chosen. This contact sheet contains two small areas of red grease pencil, often used by the photographer to make his choices. McCarten was well known to do his own dark work, and likely pondered long and hard before making his choice.
Based upon the signed photo we are offering, it is apparent Terence McCarten made his choice wisely. This dual signed photo of John and Robert Kennedy is a one-of-a-kind item with impeccable family provenance, containing bold signatures of two of the nation’s most significant political figures during the height of their careers. Full LOA from PSA/DNA. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication. Letter of provenance from Deirdre McCarten, Terrance's daughter.