Highly sought-after vintage 8” x 10” silver gelatin photograph printed from the original 4” x 5“ negative, depicting Kennedy, supported by crutches, as he greets his constituents at a Kennedy ‘tea’ during his 1952 senatorial campaign with his two sisters and mother (blocked) to his immediate right. Reverse bears contemporaneous red pencil notation of “P,” meaning ‘print.’ In fine condition. This extremely rare photo shows the Democratic nominee at one of the famous Kennedy ‘tea’ parties sponsored in the fall by Kennedy's mother Rose and his sisters Jean and Eunice; the three women offered coffee and tea from large silver urns as thousands of spectators waited in line to shake the hand of JFK and his family members after JFK’s speech. The crowds for the 'Kennedy teas’ were immense as some at the hotels like the one pictured here attracted up to 5,000 women dressed in their finest, usually on Sundays. This assembled crowd can be seen wrapping along the large room and the above balcony. Kennedy stood in line for hours on crutches until he had shaken the hand of every woman who came to meet him. An estimated 70,000 voters attended these events, which was nearly JFK's exact margin of triumph over Henry Cabot Lodge, who subsequently blamed 'those damn Kennedy Teas' for his loss. A rare photo of JFK on crutches, hobbled by a painful back injury, who would suffer his way to a hard-fought victory which eventually led to back surgery in 1954 that almost killed him. 8” x 10“ vintage photographs from JFK’s 1946 congressional campaign are basically nonexistent, so having an opportunity to acquire one of JFK on crutches may never happen again.
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