A MATERNITY DRESS worn by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is set to be auctioned in Ireland.
The dress was worn by the former First Lady during her pregnancy with her son John F. Kennedy Jr in 1960. He was born two weeks after his father, John F. Kennedy, was inaugurated as the President of the United States.
The item is set to be auctioned off by Whyte’s, an auction house in Dublin, and will go on sale next month. It is estimated that it will bring in between €3,500 and €4,000.
Maud Shaw
The dress had been given by Jackie Kennedy to Maud Shaw, an English nanny who had worked for the Kennedy family, looking after their children John Jr and Caroline.
The garment was given to her during Jackie Kennedy’s 1967 visit to Europe
The dress was mentioned by Shaw in a book she wrote about her time with the Kennedys, entitled ‘White House Nannie: My Years with Caroline and John Kennedy, Jr’.
It is a pattern silk sleeveless dress and is made of very high quality material. While the origin of the dress is uncertain, its pattern is described as being oriental in design.
Irish interest
The dress comes from the family estate of Shaw and it is being sold in Ireland as it is believed there will be a greater interest in it here rather than in the UK, according to Stuart Purcell, head of antiques and collectibles at Whyte’s.
It also comes with a collection of photographs from Shaw’s time in the White House. There are 79 of these in total and they show her day-to-day life with the Kennedy family.
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