A reader writes:
This photo is a family heirloom. Our family friend Ruth is the woman right of center with the glasses and hat, and the arm in the tan sweater behind the woman in the bikini is our recently lamented Aunt Dorothy. The picture was taken in Santa Monica after the 1960 election, before JFK’s term began. He’s just out for a swim at the beach. In the context of modern security, this scene is astounding.
Update from a reader:
I instantly recognized that JFK photo from the beach in Santa Monica. It’s an L.A. Times photograph from 1962. The photog, Bill Beebe, talks here about how he got the shot. The woman JFK is smiling at spoke to the paper in 1962. So I guess the term “heirloom” just struck me as odd – considering the picture’s history – and I felt I needed to share.
Thanks for doing so. And major props to Bill Beebe.
The Dish 