A bright shining moment in the Kennedys' relationship with the camera occurred on Jan. 3, 1961. Richard Avedon, the most glamorous photographer in the world, arrived in Palm Beach, Fla., on assignment for Harper's Bazaar to photograph the most glamorous family in the world: Jack and Jackie and Caroline and John Jr. It was the marriage made in media heaven - not that anyone was using that word yet.

Those few hours the president-elect and his family spent with Avedon in Palm Beach are exactingly chronicled in “The Kennedys / Portrait of a Family: Photographs by Richard Avedon.’’ The show, which originated at the National Museum of American History in Washington, runs at the Peabody Essex Museum through July 18. It is equally essential viewing for Kennedy buffs (it’s like watching a costume fitting for “Camelot’’) and would-be art directors.

— Photography review: Creating Camelot (Mark Feeney, Globe Staff)