Friday
Oct232009
Darling Os
Friday, October 23, 2009 at 1:06 AM 
Photo by Annie Leibovitz/Released by White House Photo Office
The White House has just released the most wonderful family portrait of the Os. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the family sat for the portrait on September 1, 2009. Beautiful!
Update: The fabulous Ari has helped to confirm that Mrs. O wears an Azzedine Alaia dress, seen here. Mrs. O previously wore the dress for a celebration to honor the late Senator Ted Kennedy's birthday earlier this year, here, as well as for the Obama Staff Ball following the inauguration, here.
tagged Alaia
Alaia
Reader Comments (64)
Absolutely gorgeous! Leibovitz caught the happy, strong personalities of each. Love the informal, affectionate pose.
I like the black and white palette, with the red accent of the President's tie. This black dress looks great on Mrs. O. It seems to have it's own wide belt, which I'm sure Mrs. O loves, and so do I.
Beautiful photo, what else is there to say...
Ahhh this brings tears to my eyes! what a lovely family!
Annie's photographs are usually staged to the nth degree. This looks effortless. I love the placement of their hands. They are connected. I love the spice, in the form of art, hanging behind Sasha's head as well.
As for the dress, I say repeat. It looks like the dress she wore to the Kennedy birthday celebration minus the statement necklace. I think she also wore it to a meet-n-greet for staff of the White House.
this is my new screen saver for the week !
Such a good looking family! I wandered on here to see what I had missed these last few days, and this picture greeted me. God bless our beautiful 1st family...keep them safe and whole... and our nation!
Glorious. Absolutely breathtaking.
A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E !!! Superb family picture.
What a fabulous portrait of the Obama family! The distinct representation of each individual is remarkable. Their affection for each other is very clear. I especially like Malia's hair...beautiful.
AdOrable! Love the informal warmth of the photo and textures. Malia looks a teeny bit awkward perched on the arm of the chair but I guess it's because she is so tall now. And she gets the right to bare arms! lol!
Beautiful, just totally and simply beautiful. I often wondered what the fuss was about with this photographer because I've seen some of her work and was never impressed. However, this picture is first class. The wamth and joy just shines through. Just a beautiful lovely family.
Beautiful...
Lovely photo except for Malia sitting on the arm of the chair. It's not for sitting!
Beautiful. Just beautiful.
Wonderful--almost one year ago today the country made this moment happen :)
Hello everyone, I can't myself...... i just have to comment, having been a silent visitor to this site for quite a while now. They are indeed gorgeous and reflect the beauty of a family that is indeed in love with one other. Thank you, Mrs. T for this site, I have been a silent admirer of Mrs O for a long time now and your site allows me indulge myself. I write from Lagos, Nigeria.
Such a beautiful portrait. Annie really captured how much the first family loves one another. I pray each and every day for God puts his arms around The First Family and protects them. I'm proud to call the Obamas our First Family.
Simply gorgeous family with such warmth! The photo really points how this family truly is, informal and warm and in just a few months, they have really opened up the White House to the people. I really like the fact that the Prez posed without his jacket because it truly reflects his personality. Mrs. O looks just spectacular, and the girls are just too adorable. I think Malia just might get taller than her parents and be like Mrs. O's brother, Craig who is 6'5"!!! Love love love our First Famiy.
and i truly believe they are a very happy and healthy family.. not to mention very beautiful
Oh my , I can not get enough of them ...I love it!
One word....WOW!!
Beautiful people with deep down goodness radiating from their souls. Ms Leibovitz has captured their beauty with such skill. The light on their faces makes their skin glow. The black and white apparel is so perfect with the green background.
This is a photo portrait for the centuries!
I agree with you Janelle , they are truly a down to earth family, and I'm proud that they have not let their status change who they are. I was drawn to this dress when she wore it that time during the inauguration with her hair up in a ponytail. What a gorgeous family.
The girls are soooo adorable. The smiles look genuine. I love the dresses (not fro-fro and pink)
Mrs. O is an inspiration.
Beautiful family and beautiful portrait! Everything just works in this picture. I love the linked hands, the colors chosen, and the genuine smiles. They just make my heart happy!
Lovely...lovely God bless their family and all those who support them.
Wow this is a lovely photo. I mean there are no words for how very much I like this!!!
This is one of the most beautiful family photos I've seen in a long time. What a wonderful family - you can feel the love they have for one another! Whom the Lord has Blessed , no man can curse.
I'm just amazed at how fast Malia is growing up (even though I see it happen with my own daughter every day). She is quickly becoming a graceful young lady. And Sasha is as cute as ever - she's definitely Daddy's little girl! Great portrait of a great family.
What can you say abouth the portrait.......BEAUTIFUL, HAPPY, VIBRANT, and of course the kids ADORABLE! love this family. I pray for your protection.
GORGEOUS!!! This family is one that can truly epitomise so many things. Love, warmth, humility, honesty, etc.
Truly a beautiful photo. Definitely a keeper.
ABSATOODALOOTLY BREATHTAKING!!!
Luuv, luuv, luuv the Obama family!
The picture looks even better enlarged on the official whitehouse page at flikcr.com here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/4035513827/sizes/l/
Anyhoo Sasha loos older here, maybe its the hair being pulled back... but they all look great!!!
FYI:
http://www.wendyshow.com/2009/10/23/michelle-obama-fashion-trends/
At first glance, my eyes are drawn to the President, Sasha and Malia. Mrs. O has chosen by wearing black to take the supporting role and let her family shine through. That to me is confidence for a woman of her caliber. Take a look at this pic
http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/4035513827/sizes/o/
and scroll to her face; her hair and makeup are impeccable but her eyes are so inviting. I remember in an interview 'he' said that he was most taken by her eyes.
The girls have inherited a combination of their parents' smiles and although this is a staged photo, the warmth that emanates to each other then to the viewer is unmistakable. Kids at this age cannot fake smiles like these. This is a cohesive, united family, no matter what.
Spectacular! This is right after Martha's Vineyard and they are sporting their vacation tans! Absolutely spectacular!!!
@kbarch yes indeed, a portrait for the centuries.
If Malia wasn't sitting on the arm of the chair she would be out of the picture. She's too tall to stand up like Sasha. Sometimes you gotta break the rules to make it work.
GORGEOUS. There is NOTHING I don't just like, but LOVE. Not even the remotest of quibbles. Absolutely perfect. Wholesome, they look natural, they look like themselves (I mean, it doesn't have that stiff mannequin performance look of so many family portraits), lovely, classy and classic clothes. PERFECTION.
It really is refreshing to see a wholesome, real family in the White House.
This is one of the most captivating family portraits that I've seen in my life. I am at a loss for words other than TRULY BEAUTIFUL !!!
Just saw Mrs. O at the Breast Cancer awareness event on livestream. She looked cute. She had on a printed knee length skirt with various colors of pink. It looked like a dark charcoal gray shirt with long sleeves and a wide corset eylet type of belt. At first I thought it was how the shirt was made. I am still a little iffy on whether or not it was a belt, but I think it was. No pics yet, but I am sure some will be out soon.
Ok, so actually the skirt is pink and gray. And I am for sure that is a belt. Here is the one pic I found on yahoo, so far.
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//091023/480/3545234ed5984acc8a
2b5953550db6aa/
I also would like to say that I love our First Family and I think that is a lovely family picture.
So lovely. What a beautiful family. This is a photo that will go down in history and they all look perfect.
I remember she wore that dress with a Tom Binns necklace to celebrate Senator Kennedy's Birthday. I actually saw a picture of that dress on one of my fave sites, The Shoe Goddess. It's Azzedine Alaia. Here's the page I got it from:
http://theshoegoddess.com/2008/11/azzedine-alaia-leather-and-snakeskin-bootie.html
Since Mrs. O's outfit is a repeat and most posters have not really commented fashion-wise, I simply MUST say: Sasha's dress is simply ADORABLE! I would love to know who made it.
OMG...Michelle is gorgeous in gray and pink today. Go to yahoo photos for the latest of MO pics. I love the belt (what seems a belt anyway). I want this whole outfit. So simple, so elegant! Wow
and of course the family portrait rendered me speechless!
God bless the Obama family and protect them. I pray for them to be surrounded by a shield of protective divine white light all time.
Now I'm wondering if this family portrait is for their Christmas card?
Oh My Gosh ...the president has a pink tie on today. I just love it. He is so traditional that I didn't expect this . Love your President and First Lady and the whole First Family.
What a lovely portrait of a lovely and loving family.
When Annie Leibowitz is good she is very, very good, isn't she?
I think y'all might enjoy this BBC video of Annie taking a formal portrait of Queen Elizabeth a few years ago. It's fascinating to see how these two professional women "click" into action after an initial wariness. Plus, all the inside the palace details, too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LAY3qWFC8Y
@everyone. ... Ditto. This picture just fills me with joy! I looked at the other Annie Leibovitz pictures and they all are great.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/03/obama-portfolio200903#slide=1
She truly has a talent, and the Obama's are just beautiful.!
Happy family! And the shirtsleeve look for the prez is great!
Nakajima - perhaps less focus on etiquette and more on how all of us moms would love it if our daughters demonstrated that degree of love and bonding with us. The body language says it all. Look at how comfortably Sasha has her hand draped around her dad's shoulder. He's not The President to her - he's her daddy and she loves him! Maila and Michelle are intertwined and interconnected as probably we all are with our firstborns. This is a photo I know the Obamas will treasure forever!
Denisegirl -right on. I think you are right and Mrs. O took a deliberate back seat in black and let the fam shine.
OMG, Sasha is adorable. She will look more like her daddy as the years progress, just watch. And Maila is going to be an incredibly gorgeous teen. No matter what anyone thinks about their politics the Obamas deserve praise for raising such confident, lovely young ladies.
Split the photo down the middle and notice how much energy the POTUS and Sasha exude. Maila and the FLOTUS give off a calm, cool and collected vibe but still look happy and content. I thought that was just an interesting aspect that the photographer probably saw as well.
Such happy children!
I think I accidentally misspelled Malia's name Maila. My bad!
This is a great photo. I'm sure we'll see it on the photo desk behind the president in the Oval Office. It's one for the history books.