An archive of documents, letters, photos, and other items personally owned by Maud Shaw, White House nanny during the Kennedy administration. Shaw, who had previously served as a nanny in England, Iran, and Egypt, was hired by the Kennedys in 1957 to care for the newborn Caroline, while JFK was still a senator. Shaw remained in the Kennedys’ employ for more than seven years and became one of the most trusted (and evidently beloved) adult influences on the closely protected Kennedy children. Her importance to the Kennedys and the high regard in which she was held is evident from a distinction shared by very few “outsiders”—her own private quarters in the White House, where she could be reached at a moment’s notice. Often credited as providing as much (if not more) of a parental presence as either JFK or Jackie, it was Shaw who gently informed five-year-old Caroline that her father had died. Shaw detailed her service in the memoir White House Nannie: My Years with Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr., published in 1966. The present archive documents Shaw’s warm relationship with the Kennedy children in the years immediately following their untimely departure from the White House. Included: Shaw’s personal handwritten “Caroline and John” diary, circa 1957–62, detailing their development as infants and toddlers, including the emergence of teeth, first steps, illnesses, and the like (under the first entry for John, born November 25, 1960, Shaw notes that he was two weeks premature); six ALS, including postcards, from Caroline to Shaw, circa 1965–1967, sending thanks for gifts, greetings from far-flung travels, and personal news (“Mummy bought a new horse, his name is Winchester”; “We are taking hula lessons”); an LS, signed with a childish “John [Jr.],” mentioning school in Switzerland and New York; a pencil “sketch” (i.e., a series of unintelligible scrawls) on an 8 x 12 legal sheet, signed, “Love, John OXOXOX”; a large original artwork by John, a poster-paint heart inscribed in an adult hand, “John, a valentine for Miss Shaw”; a brief handwritten note signed “John and Caroline” (evidently in Caroline’s hand) on a charming children’s paper craft project incorporating two faux-stained-glass fish; an ALS, signed “Love, Caroline,” to John (“I love you very, very, very, much, but sometimes I get very mad or just plain mad....”); an early, evidently prepublication mimeograph typescript of Shaw’s memoir; Shaw’s invitation and itinerary for the 1965 dedication of a memorial to JFK in England; two editor’s letters related to a 1973 magazine article by Shaw titled “My Caroline Turns 16,” with Shaw’s handwritten notes for the article; and numerous unsigned clippings and photos related to Shaw and the Kennedy children. In very good to fine condition overall, with folds, wrinkles, and a few tears to the Caroline- and John-signed items, which remain attractive and quite presentable. A one-of-a-kind window into the private lives of the most fabled First Family in American history! R&R COA.
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