Jackie Kennedy had already lived a fascinating life by the time she met John F. Kennedy, future President of the United States, in 1952. As a young socialite with a Wall Street stockbroker father and an equestrienne mother, Jackie was an avid rider herself—early photos show her with her parents at horse shows or even riding and competing herself. As a young debutante, she spent some of her college years studying abroad and even had a newspaper career in her early 20s while she was "courting" her husband-to-be. Given Jackie's subsequent public life (and then withdrawal after her husband's death), these images are an interesting look at the future First Lady. Below, 32 gorgeous photos of a young Jackie Kennedy.
1933
Jackie's mother, Janet, was a socialite and gifted equestrienne (Per the New York Times, she was a three-time winner of the hunter championship at the National Horse Show.) Jackie took after her mother's interests, as you'll see. Here, the two sit at their East Hampton home.
Circa 1930s
Horse-riding was one of Jackie's passions and, as you can see, she pursued it from an early age (and throughout her whole life). Here she is with her father; the two look quite similar, and according to Politico, he once said she was "the most beautiful daughter a man ever had."
1934
Jackie's parents would separate in 1936 and divorce in 1940; her parents' separation was, understandably, quite difficult for her. Here, the socialite family attends the Sixth Annual Horse Show of the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club on Long Island. (Lee, Jackie's sister, was at this point only a baby.)
1934
According to the original photo caption, Jackie "leads her pony from the paddock after competing at the Sixth Annual Horse Show of the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club." Her little riding outfit is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen, and that bob is an early prefiguring of her favorite haircut.
1935
From left, at the Southhampton Riding and Hunt Club's Seventh Annual Horse Show: Franklin D'Olier (Jackie's uncle), Winifred Lee (Jackie's aunt, who was married to Franklin), Jackie, Marian Raymond, and Mrs. James T. Lee (Jackie's maternal grandmother and also mom to Janet and Winifred).
1935
Here, in matching outfits, Jackie and her mother Janet ride side by side. According to biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, Janet had a profound impact on her daughter's life and (allegedly) told her two children that “money and power" were the secret to a happy marriage.
1935
Here's another angle of the two riding together in their shared passion. From the original photo caption, "Mrs. John Bouvier 3rd, society equestrienne, is pictured with her daughter, Jacqueline (6-years-old) in the parent and child class of the Smithtown Horse Show."
1935
In this un-captioned photo, Jackie is seen with a group of other youngsters riding together. Actually, I think this is a pretty good indication of how skilled she was, riding alongside children who are clearly older than her. Jackie displayed intelligence and acumen from a young age.
1935
Here, Jackie and Lee (roughly six and two, respectively) play in matching outfits. Jackie cuddles their dog Regent, a bull terrier, at a dog show in East Hampton, Long Island, per the original photo caption. Early photos of Jackie sometimes show her with her dogs; she was clearly an animal lover.
1938
As a non-rider, this looks incredibly impressive to me. Per the original photo caption, Jackie "jumps her horse Danseuse at the Piping Rock Horse Show, Locust Valley, New York." Jackie would have been all of nine years old here but displays a deep proficiency.
1939
From left at the Tuxedo Horse Show: Jackie, Mrs. Allen McLane, and her mother Janet. It's safe to say that horses (and the social events therein) made up a large part of the Bouviers' life. By this point, Jackie's parents would be separated and on the way to divorce.
1948
From the original photo caption, Jackie, "age eighteen, wearing a short-sleeved white dress with lace embroidery on the apron." She had started attending Vassar College in the fall of 1947 and made her "debut" in high society that summer. By this point, she was attending events in Manhattan as a debutante.
1949
Jackie, with probably the brightest smile you're ever going to see, is a college student here. Per the original photo caption, "American university exchange students on the deck of an ocean liner that will take them to France, where they will live for a year."
1950
I love this (uncontextualized) ID photo for Jackie. When she was in France, she studied at the University of Grenoble and at the Sorbonne in Paris via a study-abroad program. When she returned, she transferred to George Washington University and graduated with a degree in French lit.
1951
Jackie and Lee travel in Venice, Italy, in 1951. Apparently, the two traveled all over Europe during the summer to celebrate their graduations (Jackie from college and Lee from high school) and the two co-wrote One Special Summer to document the experience.
1951
Here, Jackie and Lee are on a boat returning from their lengthly European summer vacation before Jackie would start a highly-coveted job at American Vogue (she only worked there a day, though—something about the workplace not being great for meeting men).
1951
Jackie and Lee pose next to each other in ballgowns. It's not totally clear (this may be from a debutante ball) but this would have been around the same time Jackie graduated college, had a brief stint at Vogue, and then started working at the Washington Times-Herald.
1951
In this photo taken by Richard Rutledge at Condé Nast (one of the most famous of her pre-married life), Jackie gazes out at the camera serenely. For context, this would only have been a year before she would meet John F. Kennedy and get married the following year.
1952
Per the original photo caption: Jackie "photographs Dale Chestnut feeding goldfish on the roof-top pond of the Washington Times-Herald building in 1952. Bouvier was the 'Inquiring Camera Girl' of the Washington Times-Herald." During this time, Jackie was briefly engaged to John Husted.
1953
Here, Michael Canfield and Jackie attend "Newport Casino Tennis Week, Newport, Rhode Island." Michael, who was an American diplomatic aide, was also Lee's first husband (the two married in this year, and thus, he would have been Jackie's brother-in-law at the time).
1953
Jackie, in closeup, is seen shortly before her marriage to John F. Kennedy. As you'll see, Jackie cuts her hair shorter around this time and starts going with the hair length that would take her all the way to the White House (though she hadn't yet discovered her bouffant style).
1953
Shorter hair! Jackie was introduced to John by a mutual friend in May 1952 (the two were already in the same social circles). Both were Catholic, avid writers and readers, and big into traveling. John proposed to her after he became a Massachusetts senator.
1953
From left: John, Ethel Kennedy, Jackie, and Robert Kennedy. This would have potentially been a photo taken from the LIFE magazine feature about Jackie and John's relationship titled "Senator Kennedy Goes A-Courting," which gives us more "candid" shots of Jackie as a young woman.
1953
Here, John and Jackie adjust a camera together at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts (if you'll recall, she worked as a photographer at the Washington Times-Herald). The article was published just before Jackie turned 24, so she was still quite young at this point.
1953
Here, Jackie sits on the ledge of the porch, looking over the lawn below and the water beyond. In other shots, Jackie plays sports with the Kennedy siblings and displays an impressive athletic ability (which makes sense, given her equestrienne background).
1953
Here, it looks like Jackie and John are goofing off on the dock that extends out to the water. The Kennedys were avid sailers and had a strong connection to the ocean; John was no exception, and family vacations while he was President included boat and seaside trips.
1953
Jackie and John smile as they sit out on the deck. As complicated as their relationship could sometimes be (including John's infidelity and Jackie losing two children in infancy), the two had a strong connection. She would later write, "You are an atypical husband...so you mustn't be surprised to have an atypical wife...I can't write down what I feel for you, but I will show you when I am with you—and I think you must know."
1953
The two sit on the beach as Jackie gazes lovingly at John. The article would be a formal introduction to Jackie and her relationship with John, and it would begin the public's fascination with the young couple and (ultimately) their young family in the White House.
1953
The young, soon-to-be-married couple take a long walk on the beach. These early images of the pair's blossoming relationship are fascinating. They are also bittersweet, given that John's assassination would occur while he was in office just 10 years later.
1953
This is actually a version of the photo that made the LIFE cover for the 1953 magazine feature. In the cover photo, Jackie is in the foreground with a huge grin and windswept hair; this is a more subdued action shot with the two enjoying the breeze on the water.
1953
Perhaps John is teaching Jackie how to sail in the photo? In actual fact, per the caption, he is fixing the sailboat while Jackie looks on smiling. Jackie would apparently go on to appreciate boats and sailing throughout her married life to John and well afterwards.
1953
And so began the married life of the Kennedys. I just love this shot of the sunlight streaming in through the windows as the two kneel in prayer during their marriage ceremony at St. Mary's. Jackie would still have only been 24 here, with both deep joys and sorrows ahead of her.
