Boudoir

Rose Kennedy's desk held writing tools and mementos.

NPS / Robert Perron

Quick Facts

Location:

83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA

Rose Kennedy called this small room adjoining her bedroom her “boudoir,” or study. It is furnished with her darning egg on a sewing table, a picture of her father—holding her first-born Joe Jr.—on the desk, and pictures of her husband atop the desk. It was essentially her office. She said that Mr. Kennedy had his office in Boston and that as manager of this house, she wanted her office in the home.

In the wooden box, she kept meticulous notecards on which she recorded the children’s health, their height and weight by week, and many other details. Rose Kennedy was very regimented and methodical. She had a lot of rules in her house and believed in something called “Scientific Mothering”. She read many books on how to properly raise children and bought into many of these ideas whole-heartedly.