As wife of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy brought an elegance and glamour to the White House that has perhaps never been matched. At times the public's interest in her seemed to overshadow even her husband, who during a state visit to France good-humoredly introduced himself as "the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris." Her quiet dignity in response to the assassination of her husband in 1963 only increased public admiration for her, and she remained an object of popular fascination until her death.

This likeness appeared on the cover of Time on the eve of President Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. At the moment, his wife was not especially relishing the prospect of being first lady. In its story on her, the magazine reported that she felt as though she "had just been turned into a piece of public property" and that she found it all rather "frightening."