Lot 24
Two Lap Robes from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Limousine
Two rectangular lap robes from the Presidential limousine of John F. Kennedy, circa 1963. Dark blue with a central gold embroidered Presidential crest, with a gray, faux-fur reverse.
From the consignor:
These two lap robes are the only ones known to exist from the Presidential limousine, designated “100X”. At that time, when they were not in use, the lap robes were stored in the rear door panels of the Presidential limousine. After the tragic assassination of the President in Dallas, the Presidential limousine was modified from an open convertible to an armored, closed-top hardtop vehicle, and the lap robes were no longer necessary. A December 18, 1963 memo now stored at the National Archives notes that the robes were in the rear seat of the limousine when it was returned from Dallas to the White House garage on November 22, 1963.The Secret Service presented the consignor with these lap robes at that time.
During the 1960’s, the consignor was employed by the Ford Motor Company’s Washington Affairs Office, managing the company’s White House Vehicle Program. Some of the duties involved were the care and servicing of the Presidential limousine, designated 100X, as well as providing vehicular support for the U.S. Secret Service on all Presidential vehicular travel. The consignor had extensive contact with the Secret Service while ensuring that the Presidential limousine was properly maintained and serviced. He also secured Secret Service follow-up vehicles for often last-minute or urgent Presidential travel. Over the years the Secret Service relied heavily on the consignor’s expertise commitment to secure such vehicles in a timely and reliable manner.
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 was a dark turning point for the United States, and marked a change that had far-reaching effects in American society. This more cautious, more suspicious outlook is mirrored in the decision to change the President’s vehicle from one of openness and display to one of enclosure and protection. The lap robes, once needed in a car that was open to all weathers so the citizens could see and interact with their elected leader, however fleeting the opportunity, were truly representative of this passing of the torch, this by-gone era of openness that had changed so drastically.
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000