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Portrait of Camelot: A Thousand Days in the Kennedy White House
Published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s election as president of the United States, this book is a revealing and intimate portrait of a leader, husband, and father as seen through the lens of Cecil Stoughton, the first official White House photographer. Stoughton’s close rapport with the president and first lady gave him extraordinary access to the Oval Office, the Kennedys’ private quarters and homes, to state dinners, cabinet meetings, diplomatic trips, and family holidays. Drawing on Stoughton’s unparalleled body of photographs, most rarely or never before reproduced, and supported by a deeply thoughtful narrative by political historian Richard Reeves, Portrait of Camelot is an unprecedented portrayal of the power, politics, and warmly personal aspects of Camelot’s 1,036 days.
DVD packaged with a DVD created exclusively for this book, containing color and black-and-white film footage Stoughton created of the Kennedy family in the White House, in Hyannis Port, and on holidays.
Praise for Portrait of
"Like the TV series Mad Men, this book is also a remarkable period piece . . . informative and beautiful." --Publishers Weekly
"This informative and beautiful book, which shouldn't stay on the coffee table, includes a DVD with film footage of the Kennedy family on vacation."
--Publishers Weekly
"If you care about Camelot, this is a book you won't want to miss, a perfect commemoration of a presidency that happened what seems like a very long time ago."
--Courier-Journal
DVD packaged with a DVD created exclusively for this book, containing color and black-and-white film footage Stoughton created of the Kennedy family in the White House, in Hyannis Port, and on holidays.
Praise for Portrait of
"Like the TV series Mad Men, this book is also a remarkable period piece . . . informative and beautiful." --Publishers Weekly
"This informative and beautiful book, which shouldn't stay on the coffee table, includes a DVD with film footage of the Kennedy family on vacation."
--Publishers Weekly
"If you care about Camelot, this is a book you won't want to miss, a perfect commemoration of a presidency that happened what seems like a very long time ago."
--Courier-Journal
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2010
10 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Richard Reeves
59 books57 followersRichard Furman Reeves was an American writer, syndicated columnist, and lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 3, 2025
beautiful photos of our late president and his beautiful family.
April 8, 2020
Richard Reeves, the beloved historian who just recently passed away, has done a remarkable job putting together this ensemble of photographs from the official photographer of the Kennedy administration. The coffee table sized book has a mix of black/white and full color pictures. It is extraordinary to see the full color photographs of Kennedy and his beautiful wife. There are a number of things about the book that I will point out primarily in bullet points:
* The book offers a chronological snippet of events in the life of Camelot, the Presidency of Kennedy.
* The book has a grand host of pictures showing official state visits, foreign trips and some tender moments at the various Kennedy homes.
* The book has a treasure trove of world leaders at the time from De Gaul to Golda Meir and many others from around the world with whom Kennedy visited.
* The book covers from the inauguration through the funeral of President Kennedy.
* It contains some pictures I had previously not seen and I've seen thousands of pictures from the Kennedy years.
* The book has several flaws, in my opinion-- 1. The print is light and is very difficult to read 2. The spacing is quite interesting and seems to have a lot of white space 3. Some folks are never identified in the pictures leaving the reader to wonder who they were supposed to be
* I like the fact that the book gives the dates for the pictures like it is a running record of what Kennedy did. But without becoming so obvious, it also leaves out a great deal.
* The book does give some inside hidden commentary. For example, the author covers the birthday party that was given for the President in 1961 featuring Marilyn Monroe and then shortly afterward shows Mrs. Kennedy at their rented home in the Virginia countryside. The inference is that Jackie didn't like staying at the White House because she was aware of what was going on with Kennedy's unfaithfulness. (Clint Hill also mentions this in his book Me and Mrs. Kennedy.)
* The author seems to become somewhat obsessed with Kennedy's weak support for Civil Rights. He is correct. Kennedy came to the party late and was highly prejudiced. It was noted in the book that Kennedy excluded Sammy Davis, Jr. from a White House photograph because he had a white wife.
The book does a reasonable job in presenting the photography. It is a very heavy book and is difficult to handle. One would need to put it on a flat surface in order to read it comfortably, and will need good lighting to see the print.
* The book offers a chronological snippet of events in the life of Camelot, the Presidency of Kennedy.
* The book has a grand host of pictures showing official state visits, foreign trips and some tender moments at the various Kennedy homes.
* The book has a treasure trove of world leaders at the time from De Gaul to Golda Meir and many others from around the world with whom Kennedy visited.
* The book covers from the inauguration through the funeral of President Kennedy.
* It contains some pictures I had previously not seen and I've seen thousands of pictures from the Kennedy years.
* The book has several flaws, in my opinion-- 1. The print is light and is very difficult to read 2. The spacing is quite interesting and seems to have a lot of white space 3. Some folks are never identified in the pictures leaving the reader to wonder who they were supposed to be
* I like the fact that the book gives the dates for the pictures like it is a running record of what Kennedy did. But without becoming so obvious, it also leaves out a great deal.
* The book does give some inside hidden commentary. For example, the author covers the birthday party that was given for the President in 1961 featuring Marilyn Monroe and then shortly afterward shows Mrs. Kennedy at their rented home in the Virginia countryside. The inference is that Jackie didn't like staying at the White House because she was aware of what was going on with Kennedy's unfaithfulness. (Clint Hill also mentions this in his book Me and Mrs. Kennedy.)
* The author seems to become somewhat obsessed with Kennedy's weak support for Civil Rights. He is correct. Kennedy came to the party late and was highly prejudiced. It was noted in the book that Kennedy excluded Sammy Davis, Jr. from a White House photograph because he had a white wife.
The book does a reasonable job in presenting the photography. It is a very heavy book and is difficult to handle. One would need to put it on a flat surface in order to read it comfortably, and will need good lighting to see the print.
June 2, 2018
Positives
-Many gorgeous pictures, both colored and black and white, that seemingly captured every important event of JFK's presidency, from the first day to the last. It's a nice history lesson as you get a different feel than reading a biography which tends to only focus on the highlights. Many picture's of JFK with his family and kids as well.
-Lots of pictures of Jackie Kennedy, showcasing her stylishness and elegance. It's interesting that she was only 31 when she stepped into the role.
Negatives
-Not very many negatives, but the captions were not easy to read, sometimes it's hard to figure out which picture corresponds to which description since there is typically one caption and 3 pictures for every 2 pages.
-Some important events only have a couple of pictures, like the Cuban Missile Crisis and Kennedy's Assassination.
Overall, an excellent and easy read. Will definitely leave you feeling more enlightened about what JFK's presidency was like.
-Many gorgeous pictures, both colored and black and white, that seemingly captured every important event of JFK's presidency, from the first day to the last. It's a nice history lesson as you get a different feel than reading a biography which tends to only focus on the highlights. Many picture's of JFK with his family and kids as well.
-Lots of pictures of Jackie Kennedy, showcasing her stylishness and elegance. It's interesting that she was only 31 when she stepped into the role.
Negatives
-Not very many negatives, but the captions were not easy to read, sometimes it's hard to figure out which picture corresponds to which description since there is typically one caption and 3 pictures for every 2 pages.
-Some important events only have a couple of pictures, like the Cuban Missile Crisis and Kennedy's Assassination.
Overall, an excellent and easy read. Will definitely leave you feeling more enlightened about what JFK's presidency was like.
November 19, 2022
A beautiful book of photographs of President John F. Kennedy and his family, in both official and intimate moments during his 1,000 days in the White House. The photos, by White House photographer Cecil Stoughton, are presented in chronological order. The memories came flooding back for this child of the '60s. As interesting as these photographs are, though, it gets increasingly difficult to turn the pages as November 1963 approaches. The later photos of JFK with his young children are especially heartbreaking.
April 13, 2020
I thought this book was very well done and did an excellent job of chronically the days from inauguration to his assassination. I do however wish the font had been bigger and a litter darker. There were also photos I wish they had told us more of the names of the people in the photos. I really enjoyed it and the photos are beautiful.
November 4, 2025
Nice picture book of Camelot
As a big admirer of JFK, this book was put together very well with many great photos of JFK. The photos captured alot of that short period of time and documents it well.
As a big admirer of JFK, this book was put together very well with many great photos of JFK. The photos captured alot of that short period of time and documents it well.
December 23, 2015
I am a "grandchild" of the 60's, so to speak. My father was heavily influenced by the politics of the 60's and thus, I was as well. He was a huge Kennedy fan, forming most of his ideals on the politics of Robert Kennedy and most of his sadness and frustrations with American society on Bobby's death.
This book focuses on the only Kennedy presidency, Camelot. This book is lush and striking and truly lovely. You see the First Family in their glory and in the small moments - moments that help to remind the reader that they were just an American family.
The book is organized by year, which in theory is nice, but in practice - quite foreboding. As the reader moves through the book and the calendar flips to 1963, cold creeps up the spine. As the number of pages left dwindle, the horrible inevitable begins to fill the photographs.
Reading about the Kennedy presidency always has a darkness. Much like reading about Titanic, the reader knows the end. The ending shades the story in gray... but it is important to remember that there once was a bright spot.
Highly, highly recommended.
This book focuses on the only Kennedy presidency, Camelot. This book is lush and striking and truly lovely. You see the First Family in their glory and in the small moments - moments that help to remind the reader that they were just an American family.
The book is organized by year, which in theory is nice, but in practice - quite foreboding. As the reader moves through the book and the calendar flips to 1963, cold creeps up the spine. As the number of pages left dwindle, the horrible inevitable begins to fill the photographs.
Reading about the Kennedy presidency always has a darkness. Much like reading about Titanic, the reader knows the end. The ending shades the story in gray... but it is important to remember that there once was a bright spot.
Highly, highly recommended.
March 4, 2011
This was a beautiful book. It is hard not to like a book filled with wonderful pictures that tell the story of a time in history that is often overshadowed by the tragic event that it ended with. Portrait of Camelot brings to you a history of the Kennedy family through a very personal portrait. Presented chronologically, it tells the tale of not only a presidency but a nation that adored and also admired this family. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a taste of the Kennedy's, what they were about, and what they meant to a nation.
March 6, 2017
This is a 'forever' book. Everyone remembers the moment and where they were when they heard that President Kennedy was killed. It changed the world. For the first time in history TV went to a 24 hour feed, we saw Jack Ruby shoot Oswald and Mrs. Kennedy flew home with the Johnson's, covered in blood. "I want them to see what they did."
What we later saw in Mrs. Kennedy was more than grace under pressure; she will always be America's First Lady. Thanks to Caroline Kennedy who released the book and tapes and to the family photographer.
Thank you for giving us 1000 days in Camelot.
What we later saw in Mrs. Kennedy was more than grace under pressure; she will always be America's First Lady. Thanks to Caroline Kennedy who released the book and tapes and to the family photographer.
Thank you for giving us 1000 days in Camelot.
June 2, 2011
I loved poring over the gorgeous pages of this coffee table book. The captions to the book were very informative both to the political background and on the personal lives, though I personally enjoyed the personal aspects best. So many of the photos are utterly timeless and all of them tell such rich stories.
January 30, 2016
If a picture is worth a thousand words then this book is worth several million.
I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the well laid out and thoughtful pictures the author chose to use. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to go back to the early sixties and experience the times in which this leader passed.
Overall well documented glimpse at the Kennedy years.
I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing the well laid out and thoughtful pictures the author chose to use. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to go back to the early sixties and experience the times in which this leader passed.
Overall well documented glimpse at the Kennedy years.
November 26, 2010
This is a delightful book. Cecil Stoughton took some of the most beloved pictures of the Kennedy family, and they're all housed in this beautiful book. There are also many pictures I had never before seen, and I've read a lot of Kennedy books. The home-movie-style DVD is a great touch!
November 18, 2011
I would love to own this book. I have never seen such up close and personal photos. Especially, one particular photo of Jackie smoking while almost 9 months pregnant. You can even see the pack of Newport's next to her ashtray. It amazed me!
October 27, 2010
Worth the read for the DVD that comes with the book that is basically Kennedy Family Movies. Very nice book of the Kennedy era day to day.
January 4, 2011
Secretly it's a picture book, but it was amazing. I am on a quest to learn about Camelot.
August 26, 2016
Not enuf pics of Jackie, not just as a style icon but also in the First Lady role & as a wife & mother. Still the history pops out at you through the camera lens
February 1, 2013
Love this book. Enjoyable to pour over.
Read
August 15, 2017This is a very entertaining book about the Kennedys. IT's essentially a Look or LIfe magazine type look back at the first family. There is a CD enclosed with it as well. The home movies are of Kennedy mostly out on the water. It's a lovely look back.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews