Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's Daughter Amy Looks Back on Parents' Lives and Love Story as She Puts Cherished Items on Auction (Exclusive)
- - Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's Daughter Amy Looks Back on Parents' Lives and Love Story as She Puts Cherished Items on Auction (Exclusive)
Meredith KileDecember 19, 2025 at 11:00 PM
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Getty;CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2025
Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter; love note -
Former President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn are being memorialized in a new offering from Christie's
The auction house teamed up with the Carters' daughter, Amy, to assemble a collection of nostalgic mementos to auction off to the public
In addition to paintings and hand-crafted furniture from the former president, the collection also includes simple, meaningful items like a love note and a peanut scarf
A new auction is revealing heartwarming details about the lives and legacies of President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter.
The world-famous auction house Christie's partnered with the Carters' daughter, Amy, to select items from their estate to include in the upcoming American Collector's Sale, in celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary next year.
Christie's associate specialist Julia Jones traveled to Atlanta to meet with Amy, and together they sorted through a storage facility full of items that once belonged to the late president and first lady. As the youngest of the Carters' four children by 15 years, and the only girl, Amy was the only one who lived full-time with her parents in the White House for all four years of Jimmy's presidency.
"She was very involved with showing us and kind of storytelling along the way, which gave a lot more context and color to how these objects were lived with," Jones tells PEOPLE of working with the former first daughter to curate the Carter collection.
"Because of that, we can really see this personal narrative that showcases Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter as people, not just as president and first lady."
Dick Yarwood/Newsday RM via Getty Amy Carter with her parents, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in 1976
One of the items that stands out in that regard isn't a silver serving tray or piece of fine china. It's a handwritten note from Jimmy to Rosalynn, scribbled on White House stationery. Dated Aug. 18, 1978, it reads, "To Rosalynn, it's nice to be growing old together with you. P.s. Happy birthday!"
In an email interview with PEOPLE, Amy says the simple but loving note was "definitely typical" of her parents' relationship.
"My mom kept my dad’s love letters close to her throughout her life. They were in her office within reaching distance of her chair when she died. He never stopped leaving notes for her," she shares. "They spoke every day, no matter where they were in the world."
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A birthday note from President Jimmy Carter to first lady Rosalynn Carter
"My favorite is one where my dad, as a holiday gift, solemnly vowed never to rush her when they were running late again. He inscribed it on a piece of wood so she would have it to pull out if he broke his promise."
Jones tells PEOPLE the birthday note is her "absolute favorite lot" in the Carters' Christie's collection.
"I think it's such an intimate memento and touching one, that reflects them and their devotion to one another. Throughout the craziness of everyday life in the White House, they took the time to really celebrate one another and remember they were together before everything else. That really shines, I think, throughout the whole sale and collection."
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A pair of peanut-print scarves by American designer Frankie Welch
Another set of items that evokes deep emotions for Amy is a pair of scarves by American designer Frankie Welch. The peanut print is, of course, a reference to Jimmy's past as a peanut farmer, which was a focus of his political candidacy and remains as part of his legacy.
Amy recalls, "My mom wore those when I was little (and she had a peanut dress!). I think of sitting with her in her dressing room, talking while she got ready to go out. She was so beautiful. She’d be going to some adult function while I stayed home. It would be a private and quiet moment for just the two of us."
Mikki Ansin/Getty
Rosalynn Carter helps daughter Amy prepare for Jimmy Carter's inaugural parade on Jan. 20, 1977
As for her father's pieces, Amy says she likes to remember him pursuing his creative passions, like painting. The Christie's collection includes four paintings by the former president, capturing scenes that were important to him, like Plains Baptist Church, where his father served as a deacon, and a stream in northern Georgia, where he would fish for trout.
"All of my dad’s paintings feel special to me," Amy says. "He was so happy and relaxed when he painted. I enjoy thinking of him at his easel in the garage, giving himself the time to just focus on something he loved."
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"Steeple" painting by President Jimmy Carter
The former president was also an accomplished woodworker. Jones notes how, as a young man in the Navy, Jimmy would build his and Rosalynn's furniture to save money. After their years in the White House, the couple built a cabin in Ellijay, Georgia, which Jimmy once again furnished himself.
"I just find that so fascinating: a former president and first lady who didn't live these lavish lifestyles after the presidency, but really returned to their roots, to their home, and continued these passions," she says. "That's so impressive."
Amy recalls that her dad loved building furniture and continued the hobby "until he physically couldn’t do it anymore."
"He made pieces for his home, his children, his friends, the Plains Community Center, Carter Center auctions and his church. I think it started as a practical way to furnish his home as a newlywed or even earlier, working and building on his family’s farm. It seems that later he was able to enjoy the art and design more."
The Christie's collection includes several pieces handmade by Jimmy, including an ashwood jewelry chest, a pine coffee table made from wood sourced from a dilapidated horse barn, and a set of walnut side tables that Jimmy made for Amy's bedroom.
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A set of walnut side tables handmade by Jimmy Carter
Her father's simplistic, hard-working lifestyle carried over into White House life for Amy, who was just 9 years old when he won the 1976 election.
"My dad abided by [the rule for federal employees] that every gift over $50 was a gift to the nation, and they were all returned at the end of his administration," she shared. "I appreciate this sentiment much, much more as an adult than when I had to give up my German dollhouse when we left."
Nevertheless, she recalls, there was a certain magic to living in the nation's most famous home.
"I did love living in the White House - it felt like an adventure every day," she says. "The art and the house were beautiful and interesting. I loved the decorations, and music, and dancing. Every single person on the staff there was kind and patient to me."
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A collection of Jimmy Carter campaign pins
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Following their years in the White House, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter returned home to Georgia, where they lived out the rest of their long lives together. Rosalynn died in November 2023 at the age of 96, and Jimmy followed just over a year later, having lived to be 100.
Throughout their marriage, love and laughter endured. That is symbolized by perhaps one of the most unexpected lots in the Christie's collection: two unassuming armchairs that helped turn the former first couple into a viral meme when they were well into their 90s.
In May 2021, the Carters received a visit from President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill. The Carter Center shared a photo of the foursome; however, due to a wide-angle lens, a small room and the photo being taken from above, the Carters appeared tiny in comparison to the Bidens.
The Carter Center/ twitter (L to R): Jill Biden, President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, President Joe Biden
"That photo still makes me laugh," Amy shares. "I think I can safely say everyone in the family enjoyed it."
"My parents could certainly appreciate the humor in something like that. I remember my mom giggling, telling me about a time when my dad’s alarm was set incorrectly and he got up, got fully ready for the day and sat down with a cup of coffee only to notice that it was 2 a.m. She probably thought it was a little funnier than he did."
"But yes, they could definitely laugh at themselves," Amy notes.
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Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's armchairs
Of finding the chairs, Jones recalls, "We were in the storage facility, and we walked by these armchairs, which are quite unassuming... We kind of just chatted [with Amy] about how fun it would be to include something like that. Something that's a little bit whimsical, comical, there's humor to it, and everyone can laugh about it."
"[It lends itself] again, to this bigger picture of President, former president, first lady, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, they're just people. They can also be victim to a wide-angle lens and look like little dolls sometimes. It was something that came about just very naturally and with a laugh."
Jones tells PEOPLE that the Carters' collection, the first iteration of Christie's American Collector's series, was put together with the goal of being a "diplomatic sale," with online bidding and items starting at just $100.
"How much more Americana can you get than Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter?" she notes. "It's amazing to be honored with this collection and offer it at market."
For Amy, the nostalgia that comes with offering some of her parents' belongings up for the public to purchase only evokes happy memories.
"I like the idea of sharing my parents’ legacy and memory," she says. "I was incredibly lucky to have had such a long time with both of them, and there are so many personal things in my house and in my brothers’ houses that remind us of them every day."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
