Obama College Photos To Go On Display (VIDEO)

Photos of President Obama as a college student are rare. But 21 of them are about to be shown publicly. They come from a collection of thirty-six photos taken by Lisa Jack, a fellow student at Occidental College, of Obama as a freshman.

In the photos, a few of which were published in Time Magazine, Obama wears a Panama hat and bomber jacket, smoking cigarettes.

Jack told the "Today Show" that she kept the collection in a safety deposit box through the election to avoid influencing the results, and she described the future president as "cute."

"I'm sure Hillary would have paid a fortune for them: 'Is this who you want picking up the phone at 3 a.m.?' " Jack said to the L.A. Times. "I could have made a boatload of money, probably, but I wanted to do it right."

"Barack Obama: The Freshman," opens Thursday at M+B Gallery in Los Angeles.

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Comments

[MyAudacity]

The one thing I like about these photos is the message it will send to our young college students, that yes you can too!

[Ellyllon]

And that you don't have to be perfect, or have an 'ideal' childhood, and that you can go through wild, teen years, yet still become a great person. All true things.

Also, that if you're smart, & sexy, & strong, you'll make a lot of Right Wing types very, very peevish... Which makes the whole thing worthwhile, really.

[coveark]

What a cutie pie.......­...... :-)

[RexPrimoris]

The photo of Prez Obama in the Panama Hat, looking downward, has this 19th-century quality to it. Sort of reminds me of Walt Whitman on the frontispiece to "Leaves of Grass" (I think the latter is a drawing). Maybe it's the hat. Anyway, beautiful photo. Nice that this early period of his life was captured in black and white film; it sort of lends photos that timeless, slightly antiquated quality.

[chronic5]

Way to go, Lisa. Class, morals and discretion all the way.

[Pie7]

I couldn't agree more.

[Pupadup4oBama]

absolutely!

[sasha34]

hot then, hotter now.

[timewaster2dcore]

OK, I think people are missing something here. Who is Lisa Jack and how was she "then" to Obama? I mean, how could she have as many photos of Obama? You know what I am talking about.

[graceland9]

Well, I wish I could have had my chance. Oh well - he's got a beautiful family and all, but *sigh*

[teron678]

LOL

[Ohioan730]

It must have been hard to resist those eyes and that baby face. ;-)

[livesimply]

She was an aspiring photograph­er....besi­des, who cares?

[dispassionateobserver01]

umm.. she was a photography major and Obama agreed to do a photoshoot for her because they had a common friend? He even brought props (the hat!).

If you went to college, you wouldn't be asking this question.

[AgentMuu]

Exactly - half the people I know have already put their future careers in jeopardy by posing for photography projects if this had any merit to it :-P

[Diogenis]

I respect her for not showing the pics until now. They are priceless.

[Pie7]

Agreed!

[jazzofcourse08]

Very cool. I bet when the President saw these pictures, he said, I can't believe I dressed like that. When I look back at some of the outfits I wore, especially in the 80's, yikes, what was I thinking :-)

[icemilkcoffee]

Reminds me of a young Bob Dylan.

[Pupadup4oBama]

YES!
By the way...tast­y moniker! :)

[EarthToZoey]

He's just so gosh darn handsome! ;)

[graceland9]

OH yes.

[Diogenis]

now he gonna need Grecian Formula! Politics will age him fast.

[graceland9]

Somehow he looks even better with gray hair! How can that be?!

[Pupadup4oBama]

Agreed!

[Nina28]

Hmmm, usually not my type, but he is cute. Most impressive, he's real, not some pretty rich spoiled ivy league plant a result of nepotism. Praise be.

[Diogenis]

you have second thoughts now.

[lvadpro]

...waiting for the party pictures of Obama on the bong wearing the 12-pack carton hat.

[Ohioan730]

I'd cherish those pictures if they existed. LOL! At least he didn't lie about his drug use like Clinton tried to do. I was college-age then. I rolled my eyes so HARD in Clinton's general direction.

[Yurdelite]

I did the same thing with Mr. I Didn't Inhale Clinton, yeah right. We all knew better. Now if he had said yes I tried it but I did not like it and I never did it again that would have been more believable. I have brothers and sisters who did the same thing--they did not like it, period and they left it alone.

[Diogenis]

wait until we decriminalize pot first.

[rain33]

cool pictures! she held them for a long time before releasing it to the world for a hefty price!

[Diogenis]

She used...goo­d judgment.

[nocoward]

she did not want to do anything to influence the result and she did not want to hurt him. I think she was more than just a "fellow student" at Occidental College (lol).

[mhkh87]

I'm glad she kept them private until after the election. And YES what a cutie and still is!! I wonder what he thinks about them being released now and if has spoken to her. How cool is it to know you knew him then and now he's our PRESIDENT!

[luvangelHussein330]

To cool for school.... luv it

[Ohioan730]

I like the Barack/Spock avy. :-)