“I always go to Hyannis Port to be revived, to know again the power of the sea,” President John F. Kennedy once said. That feeling of summertime joy and rejuvenation is palpable in old photos of the president and his wife, Jackie Kennedy, at their summer home on the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
Their summer sanctuary, and a symbol of Camelot, the compound is a sprawling collection of houses—along with tennis courts, a movie theater, a sauna, and more—across six acres of land that overlooks the water. Depicted on television this year in FX’s hit show Love Story, the compound was established in 1928 and stands today as a retreat for generations of the Kennedy family.
Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger held their wedding reception there, with guests including Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Walters, Andy Warhol (and his plus-one, Grace Jones), Oprah, and Walter Cronkite. In more recent years, celebrities ranging from Bill Murray to Taylor Swift have visited the compound. Today, the Kennedy family still gathers at the compound, as per tradition, to celebrate the Fourth of July.
Jackie Kennedy was often captured by photographers there in the summer months. The snapshots offer a rare glimpse into the private, relaxed life of the first lady and her family. During one photoshoot, she sailed and played tennis; in another, she read a children’s book to her daughter Caroline on their expansive green lawn with their white clapboard house in the background. She typically wore flowy tops, linen dresses, and Bermuda shorts.
In the process, she helped craft the all-American image that defined the family for generations. (And elect her husband as president: one 1960 picture was taken just as John F. Kennedy received the Democratic nomination.) Below, see a selection of 1960s photos of Jackie Kennedy in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
