Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s family life appears in photographs across campaign events, the White House and later public life. The archival sources below offer a way to explore those moments—but the records available here do not identify the exact 13 images in this gallery. Image-specific captions, dates, locations, credits and usage terms must be verified against each selected photograph rather than inferred from a general collection page.
What these Carter family photographs show
The family photographs are not limited to formal portraits. Institutional collections place the Carters and their relatives in political settings as well as White House life, offering different views of a family whose public and private histories often intersected. The White House Historical Association’s galleries are useful starting points for identifying people and context in Carter-era images: The Carter White House, 1977–1981 and Remembering First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
The family included four children: Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy. In one Democratic National Convention photograph, the White House Historical Association identifies Jimmy and Rosalynn with Jimmy’s mother, Lillian, and their children Jack, James Earl III (Chip), Donnel and Amy. The caption’s use of “Donnel” differs from the commonly used name “Jeff”; check the image record before reproducing its wording or assigning an identity. The convention image record provides the specific caption to consult.
A documented White House moment with Amy
One precisely dated family moment is recorded by the White House Historical Association: on February 22, 1977, Jimmy Carter and his daughter Amy participated in a speed-reading course in the Cabinet Room. The date, participants and setting are identified in the association’s Carter White House gallery. This caption is a useful example of the detail a strong photo caption should supply; it should not be used as a substitute for checking the record of a different photograph.
#1 Best Overall
How to caption and credit the 13 images
For each selected photograph, use the image’s own archival record to establish who is pictured, when and where it was made, and who made or supplied it. The Carter Center’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Photo Gallery provides image-specific dates, places, credits and historical context. Its photographs are available for download subject to the copyright restrictions attached to the images; The Carter Center asks users to include the credit information on each page.
- Match every caption to the individual image record; do not transfer names, dates or anecdotes from a neighboring image.
- Retain the photographer or institutional credit exactly as given with the photograph.
- Check the specific image’s copyright and use terms before publication.
- When a source does not establish a detail, leave it out rather than supplying a likely date, location or family relationship.
The broader Carter Family Papers record includes photographs made by professional photographers, family members and friends, according to the National Archives Fall Researcher News. That range of makers can give official and candid events different perspectives, but it also makes image-level attribution important.
Rank #2
- Signed Jimmy Carter, a rare signature (usually signs J. Carter)
Family history beyond the photographs
In an archived White House biography, Jimmy Carter recalled telling his mother after his first date with Rosalynn, “She’s the girl I want to marry.” The account attributes the words to Carter speaking to his mother; it is a biographical recollection, not a caption for any particular family photograph. See the archived Rosalynn Smith Carter biography.
For a time-specific sense of the wider family, the Associated Press reported in December 2024 that the Carters had 11 living grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. That figure belongs to the AP’s dated biography, not a current count. The same AP brief biography identifies their four children as Jack, Chip, Jeff and Amy.
Rank #3
- President Jimmy Carter "Full Life (Reflections at Ninety)" Book
- Signed in black sharpie
- Hardcover
- 238 pages
- Includes 14 candid photos from the signing event + Newspaper + Event flyer
Jason Carter, a grandson and chair of The Carter Center board, described his grandparents to the AP as people who, despite their accomplishments, remained “the same sort of South Georgia couple” from the small village where they were born. His reflection appears in the AP’s report on Jimmy Carter’s 99th birthday. It offers context for the family story, but should not be presented as an explanation of a specific photograph unless that image’s record supports the connection.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Used Book in Good Condition
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
