First Familes an Intimate Portrait from the Kennedys to the Clintons

When this book was published in 1997 Harry Benson had photographed every first family from the Kennedys to the Clintons. Here in this beautifull collection published by Bulfinch are some of his photographs from that time. He divides the book into Introduction with forewords by Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush; Presidents; First Ladies; First Families; Politics; The White House; and Private Lives. While many of the shots are formal portraits (for example, the series of portraits of first ladies, pp. 88-93 where Nancy Reagan in her [borrowed?] Galanos dress looks every inch an elegant queen) often shot for magazines, Benson managed to photograph many members of these families in informal settings. This is what endears the book to me and I suspect to other viewers as well. Jack and Susan Ford (p. 49) show off their youthful attractive bodies in bathing suits. President Reagan clad only in shorts, shoes and socks was caught hammering in a fence post (p.52). In the only shot of Lillian Carter in the book (p.61), she is wearing a headdress to prove that she was "chief" of the family. The first President Bush plays in a swimming pool with his cocker spaniel (p.63) in a shot that shows that he was far more handsome than any of his sons.) The photo of Virginia Kelly (p. 73) clutching a portrait of her baby son Bill Clinton reminded me that you have to love a woman who at her age wore those outrageous false eyelashes, probably the only thing unnatural about this outspoken mother. Benson caught Nancy Reagan (p. 76) on a moving bus during the presidential campaign in New Hampshire eating a sandwich. (Some of us thought she never ate since she remained so thin.) He also photographed Nixon in 1978 (p. 120) in San Clemente wearing the plaid blazer from hell. Surely Pat had nothing to do with purchasing that article of clothing. Benson also includes a closeup of the Reagans kissing, along with a shot of their impromptu dance (a photo we all saw in "Vanity Fair" in 1985.) Whatever your politics are or how you feel about the Reagans, you would be hard pressed to argue that they did not have a deep and abiding love that shines through in every photograph of them. Mr. Benson provides commentary for each photograph, giving the date and occasion for taking the shot. He also includes a thoughtful introduction. Some of his conclusions: White house staff-members remember Mrs. Nixon as their favorite first lady. Benson found George Bush to be the nicest and that the Carters put on no airs. Why does this not surprise anyone? The fact that the photographer often had only ten minutes to work his magic with these first families and came away with these photographs bears witness to his genius.