Jackie Kennedy and Paris

Jackie Kennedy may be the most famous American first lady, even 20 years after her death, she is known by everyone, for being the wife of President Kennedy, but also for her style and smile. French and Parisian people especially, because she was also the most French First Lady ever. Lets find out a little more about the relation between Jackie Kennedy and Paris.

Jackie Kennedy’s real name is Jacqueline – so French, and her birth name also sounds French: Bouvier. In fact, from her father, she is partly French, because one of her ancestors was from Napoleon’s Great Army and then moved to the US. She took a special interest in her French roots and studied French literature at Vassar College, before finally going to La Sorbonne, the mythic French University, in Paris, in 1949. (See below Jackie sailing to France in 1949).

Her love for France was not only for French literature, but also for French culture, history and Fashion! She was really popular and respected in France, because she embodied French elegance. That is why she was so popular in Molière country and remained for Parisian people THE icon of the 60s. An add in the 1960s said that each woman has to choose between being Marilyn or Jackie, Parisian women all chose to be Jackie!

When Jackie came back to Paris with her President husband in 1961 for a three-day visit, she was definitely the star of the trip. Parisian people were yelling “Vive Jackie” in the streets of Paris; they were impressed by the beautiful, elegant, French speaking First Lady who had not forgotten her French, even 10 years after leaving La Sorbonne. She shone so much that President Kennedy would say to people in Paris ” I am the man who accompanied Jacqeline Kennedy to Paris”.

Jackie was popular with the French President, his wife, all the people of Paris and all the intellectuals from the Left Bank adored her! As she spoke perfect French, had a lot of French culture due to her year in Paris 12 years before her 1961 visit, and her knowledge of French literature, she was admired by French writers, philosophers, and especially by the Minister of Culture who was also one of the most famous writers during that time: André Malraux. We can see them discuss in the picture above, during an official party. They developed a friendship after this visit and wrote to each other until the death of Malraux, in 1976.

Jackie kept going back to Paris, we can see her in the picture above, in 1974. She regularly visited the city of Light, for different reasons, but one thing is for sure, if Jackie loved Paris, Paris loved her back!