For Immediate Release: November 12, 2004
Further information: Tom McNaught (617) 514-1662
BOSTON — On Friday, November 26, 2004, the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library will unwrap a special exhibit, "Presents for a President and First Lady," a display of 65 state gifts presented to President and Mrs. Kennedy by foreign leaders from around the globe. The exhibit, which features a large selection of never-before-seen treasures from the Kennedy White House, opens for the traditional gift-giving season in the Museum’s White House corridor and ceremonial room, and runs through November 13, 2005.
The exchange of gifts among heads of state is a centuries-old tradition, and remains an important part of modern-day international relations. President and Mrs. Kennedy delighted in the gifts presented to them by representatives of countries around the globe, particularly items which showcased the fine work of a foreign country’s craftsmen. In both the Oval Office and the White House residence, the president and first lady would display such gifts for visitors and family members to enjoy.
Highlights of the exhibit include:
- An eye-catching 18"-tall silver amphora vase with caraytid handles, detailed with dragon-heads in repousse and finely chased lines, and a 19"-tall silver tureen with detailed design on a dramatic pedestal base were presented to President Kennedy by Norodam Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, on September 25, 1961.
- A mother-of-pearl nativity scene framed in a brilliant, over-sized, pearl-inlay star, given to Caroline Kennedy for her birthday by King Hussein bin Talal, the King of Jordan.
- A tribal mask created by the Kuba people depicting "Ngaady a Mwaash," a royal female ancestor of the 17th century Bushoong Kuba dynasty, presented to President Kennedy by Fwamba Mukengele, the Deputy to the National Assembly of the Republic of Congo, on August 2.
- A stately silver humidor (sans cigars), a gift from Soviet Premier Khrushchev to President Kennedy during their first meeting on June 4, 1961, in Vienna, Austria.
- An Afghan head of Buddha, dating to the 2nd century, presented to President Kennedy by Afghan King Mohammad Zahir at the White House on September 5, 1963.
- A 10th century ceramic bowl, 8 ½" in diameter, in off-white glaze decorated with bird and scroll design, presented to the President by the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, on April 11, 1962.
- Matching trio of bracelet, purse, and belt presented to Mrs. Kennedy by Hassan II, the King of Morocco, during his March 27, 1963, state visit to the White House.
- Silver slippers with red-velvet lining adorned with brass crescent and star presented by Hasan al-Rida al Sanusi, Crown Prince of the United Kingdom of Libya, during his state visit to the White House on October 16, 1962.
- A 14" circular platter with concentric repousse bands of elephants, horses, lions, bulls, and the Sacred Goose, "hamsa," around two bands of lotus petals presented to the President by the nephew of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), during his visit to the White House on October 4, 1961.
- An ivory model of an ancient Egyptian barge with a serpent motif and a Damascened vase with bands of Arabic inscriptions, medallions, and ornamental work done in repousse with fine chasing given to President Kennedy by Gamal Abdel-Nasser, President of Egypt.
- "Cocoa Plantation," a painting of two people working among cocoa trees by Diaby Youssouf presented to President Kennedy by Felix Houphouet-Boigny, the President of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, on May 22, 1962.
WCVB-TV 5 is the Media Partner of the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and the Media Sponsor of “Presents for a President and First Lady.”
"Presents for a President and First Lady," is just one of the many exciting and inspiring exhibits visitors will find in the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. The Museum’s 25 multimedia exhibits and period settings from the White House offer an exciting "you are there" experience, and create a stirring account of President Kennedy’s thousand days in office. Beginning with 17-minute film narrated by President Kennedy, visitors step back into the recreated world of the early 1960s and witness the first televised presidential debate; accompany first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy on her televised tour of the White House; sit in on press conferences with the President; relive the thrill of Col. John Glenn’s first orbital mission; stroll through White House corridors; witness Cabinet meetings during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and observe the president’s televised address from the Oval Office on the Civil Rights crisis.
One of Boston’s most popular destinations for visitors from all nations, the architectural masterpiece designed by I.M. Pei sits on a 10-acre waterfront site on Columbia Point offering panoramic views of Boston’s skyline and Harbor Islands.
General admission to the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is $10.00. Admission for seniors over the age of 62 and college students with appropriate identification is $8.00, and for children ages 13-17, $7.00. Children ages 12 and under are admitted for free.
The Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the exceptions of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Library is located in the Dorchester section of Boston, off Morrissey Boulevard, next to the campus of the University of Massachusetts/Boston. Parking is free. There is free shuttle-service from the JFK/UMass T Stop on the Red Line. The Museum is fully handicapped accessible. For more information, call (866) JFK-1960 or access www.jfklibrary.org on the Internet.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration and supported, in part, by the Kennedy Library Foundation, a non-profit organization.