Exceptional matte-finish 12.75 x 10 photo of President Roosevelt at his desk in the Oval Office, signed and inscribed in fountain pen to White House secretary, and member of FDR’s inner circle, Toi Bachelder by all four pictured, including Franklin Roosevelt as president, “For Toi, Franklin D. Roosevelt,” his secretaries, “To Toisy, On the last four! Love, Grace [Tully]” and “To Toi—March 4, 1941, from, Missy [LeHand],” and by FDR’s White House press secretary, “Stephen Early.” Also signed in the lower right by the photographer, “Jackie Martin.” Beautifully archivally double-matted and framed to an overall size of 20 x 17.5. In fine condition.
This is an amazing photo showing an intimate moment from President Roosevelt’s third term, the president surrounded by some of the most trusted members of his inner circle—Marguerite ‘Missy’ LeHand, Grace Tully, and Stephen T. Early. FDR biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin called LeHand 'the most celebrated private secretary in the country,' and there is said to have been a romantic nature to her relationship with the president. In June 1941, only shortly after signing this photo, Miss LeHand suffered a devastating stroke that left her paralyzed, and her assistant, Grace Tully, took over as Roosevelt's head secretary. The third signer, Stephen T. Early, was extremely influential in shaping FDR's reputation among the American people—he is often credited with modernizing the relationship between the press and White House, and helped to originate Roosevelt's 'Fireside Chats,' an integral part of FDR’s legacy and the first media development that facilitated intimate and direct communication between the president and the nation's citizens. The photographer, Cecilia 'Jackie' Martin, was one of America's first prominent women photojournalists—she began her photographic career at Underwood & Underwood, going on to work at the Washington Times-Herald for nearly two decades, rising to the position of art director before going freelance. According to a retrospective hosted in 1986 by her alma mater, Syracuse University, Martin took this photograph in March 1941 and it was never published. That this image is inscribed to Toi Bachelder—another of FDR's close personal secretaries, inner circle companions, and a fellow polio survivor—makes it that much more unique. A truly remarkable and historic piece.
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