On October 6, 1979, President Jimmy Carter welcomed Pope John Paul II to the White House for an historic, private meeting.
This inspiring historic moment and meeting is commemorated in this color photograph, captured by renowned LIFE & Time magazine photographer Neil Leifer. Hand-signed by President Carter, in a large, clear signature in blue marker, President Carter has signed: "J Carter" directly in the blue image field between these two luminaries.
The hour-long meeting in the Oval Office between President Jimmy Carter and Pope John Paul II represented the first visit of a Pope to the White House, and occurred during Pope John Paul II's first papal pilgrimage to the United States. At the start of the meeting, the two men— each at the pinnacle of power in their respective spheres— agreed to speak not as diplomats, but as brothers. Eventually, their discussions turned to world affairs.
After their meeting, the pair emerged and addressed the crowd of 6,000 gathered on the South Lawn. There, the President addressed the Pope warmly and said, "As human beings each acting for justice in the present— and striving together for a common future of peace and love— let us not wait so long for ourselves and for you to meet again. Welcome to our country, our new friend."
This iconic image was featured in the 15 October 1979 edition of Time magazine, and is also reproduced in one of Neil Leifer's books of his historically- and culturally-significant photographs. The photograph comes elegantly displayed in a carved vintage frame of warmly hued golden wood with golden beading, with a cream-colored textural linen mat. Framed size measures 15" in height x 17" width.
President Carter's signature has been examined and authenticated by James Spence Authentication, and the photograph bears an alpha-numeric authentication label which corresponds to the accompanying certificate of authentication.
Photographer's Bio
NEIL LEIFER’s illustrious photography career has spanned over 50 years of journalistic, celebrity, sports and fine art photography. Beginning in 1960, his pictures regularly appeared in every major national magazine, including the Saturday Evening Post, Look, LIFE, Newsweek, Time and Sports Illustrated.
Leifer became a staff photographer for Sports Illustrated, leaving in 1978 to become a staffer for Time magazine. In 1988 he was made a contributing photographer at LIFE magazine and spent the next two years dividing his time between Time and LIFE. By 1990 when Leifer left Time Inc., his photographs had appeared on over 200 Sports Illustrated, Time, and People covers—which then represented the most images ever published of one photographer’s work in Time Inc. history. Neil Leifer is the 2006 recipient of the prestigious Lucie Award for Achievement in Sports Photography, and in 2008 Leifer was honored for his outstanding contribution to Time Inc. journalism with The Britton Hadden Lifetime Achievement Award.
Size: 15" x 17"