Jackie Kennedy had already led a charmed life by the time she met future U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1952. As a young socialite with a Wall Street stockbroker father and an equestrian mother, Jackie herself was an avid equestrian. A debutante, she studied abroad during her college years, and in her early twenties “courted” a husband-to-be while also pursuing a career as a newspaper reporter. Given Jackie's later public life (and her withdrawal after her husband's death), these images are an interesting look at the future First Lady. Below are 32 gorgeous photographs of a young Jackie Kennedy.

Jackie's mother, Janet, was a socialite and a gifted equestrian (according to The New York Times, she was a three-time National Horse Show hunter champion). Jackie also inherited her mother's hobby; the two sit at home in East Hampton.

Horseback riding is one of Jackie's passions, and as you can see, she pursued it from an early age (and throughout her life); according to Politico, he once called her “the most beautiful daughter a man could have.”

Jackie's parents separated in 1936 and divorced in 1940. A prominent socialite family attends the 6th annual horse show at the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club on Long Island. (7]

According to the caption of the original photo, Jackie “leads her pony from the paddock after competing in the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club's Sixth Annual Horse Show. Her little riding outfit is the cutest thing I have ever seen, and that bob is an early incarnation of her favorite hairstyle.

At the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club's 7th Annual Horse Show, from left: Franklin Dreier (Jackie's uncle), Winifred Lee (Jackie's aunt, who was married to Franklin), Jackie, Marian Raymond, James Mrs. T. Lee (Jackie's maternal grandmother and mother of Janet and Winifred).

Here, Jackie and her mother Janet ride side by side in matching outfits. According to biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli, Janet was a major influence in her daughter's life, telling her two children (allegedly) that “money and power” were the secrets to a happy marriage.

Here is another angle of the two sharing their passion and riding together. From the caption of the original photo, “Mrs. John Bouvier III, a social equestrian, is shown with her daughter Jacqueline, 6, in a parent-child class at the Smithtown Horse Show.”

In this uncaptioned photo, Jackie is riding with other youngsters. In fact, when you see her riding with children who are clearly older than her, you can clearly see how skilled she was. Jackie demonstrated intelligence and insight from an early age.

Here, Jackie and Lee (roughly 6 and 2 years old, respectively) are playing in matching outfits. Jackie holding her dog Regent, a bull terrier, at a dog show in East Hampton, Long Island. Jackie's early photographs of herself with her dog showed that she was clearly an animal lover.

To me, a non-rider, this looks incredibly impressive. According to the caption of the original photo, Jackie was “jumping a horse dunce at the Piping Rock Horse Show in Locust Valley, NY.” Jackie would have been nine years old here, but shows deep proficiency.

At the Tuxedo Horse Show, from left: Jackie, Mrs. Allen McClain, and her mother Janet. It is safe to say that horses (and the social events held there) were a large part of the Bouvier family life. At this point, Jackie's parents were separated and headed for divorce.

From the caption of the original photo, Jackie, “18 years old, wearing a short-sleeved white dress with lace embroidery on the apron. She began attending Vassar College in the fall of 1947 and “debuted” into high society that summer. At this point, she was attending events in Manhattan as a debutante.

Jackie, with perhaps the brightest smile you have ever seen, is a college student here. According to the caption of the original photo, she is “an American college student exchange student on the deck of a liner bound for France.”

I love this (unconnected) ID photo of Jackie. While in France, she studied at the University of Grenoble and the Sorbonne in Paris through a study abroad program. Upon her return, she transferred to George Washington University and graduated with a degree in French literature.

In 1951, Jackie and Lee traveled to Venice, Italy. To celebrate Jackie's graduation from college and Lee's graduation from high school, the two spent the summer traveling throughout Europe.

Here, Jackie and Lee are on a boat returning from a long European summer vacation before Jackie began a high-profile job at American Vogue magazine (she worked there for one day, but it was an inhospitable place to meet men).

Jackie and Lee pose next to each other in ball gowns. (This could be from the Debutante Ball.) It is not entirely clear, but it would be around the same time Jackie graduated from college and began working at the Washington Times Herald after a brief stint at Vogue magazine.

In this photo taken by Richard Rutledge at Condé Nast (one of the most famous photos of her life before her marriage), Jackie is calmly gazing into the camera. Incidentally, this was only a year before she met and married John F. Kennedy the following year.

According to the caption of the original photo: Jackie: “1952 photo of Dale Chestnut feeding goldfish in a pond on the roof of the Washington Times-Herald Building. Bouvier was the Washington Times-Herald's “inquisitive camera girl.” During this period, Jackie was briefly engaged to John Husted.

Here, Michael Canfield and Jackie attended “Newport Casino Tennis Week, Newport, Rhode Island.” Michael, an assistant U.S. diplomat, was also Lee's first husband (they were married that year, making him Jackie's brother-in-law at the time).

Here is a close-up of Jackie just prior to her marriage to John F. Kennedy. As you can see, Jackie begins to cut her hair short around this time, to a length that would go all the way to the White House (although she had not yet discovered the bouffant style).

Short hair. Jackie was introduced to John by a mutual friend in May 1952 (they were already in the same social circles); both were Catholics, avid writers, readers, and travelers. John proposed to her after he became a senator from Massachusetts.

From left: John, Ethel Kennedy, Jackie, and Robert Kennedy. This may have been taken from “Senator Kennedy Goes A-Courting,” a feature in LIFE magazine dealing with Jackie and John's relationship.

Here, John and Jackie are on camera together at the Kennedy mansion in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts (recall, she worked as a photographer for the Washington Times-Herald). This article was published just before Jackie turned 24, so she was still quite young at this point.

Here, Jackie is sitting on the edge of the porch, looking out over the lawn below and the water beyond. In other shots, Jackie sports with her Kennedy siblings, showing off her impressive athleticism (which makes sense, given her equestrian background).

Here, Jackie and John appear to be fooling around on a dock extending to the water's edge. The Kennedys were avid sailors and had strong ties to the sea. John was no exception, and family trips during his presidency included boating and seaside travel.

Jackie and John sitting on deck and smiling. Their relationship was sometimes complicated by John's infidelity and the loss of Jackie's two children as infants, but they had a strong bond. You are an atypical husband. So don't be surprised that you have an atypical wife. I cannot write down what I feel for you, but I will show you when I am with you.

They sit on the beach and Jackie looks lovingly at John. The article formally introduced Jackie and John's relationship and led to the public's fascination with this young couple and their (eventual) young family living in the White House.

The young couple, about to be married, stroll on the beach; the early images of their blossoming relationship are fascinating. It is bittersweet to think that only ten years later John would be assassinated during his presidency.

This is actually a version of the photo that graced the cover of LIFE magazine in 1953. In the cover photo, Jackie is in the foreground with a big smile on her face and her hair shaking in the wind.

Perhaps in this photo, John is teaching Jackie how to sail. In reality, as the caption states, John is repairing the yacht while Jackie smiles and looks on. Jackie seems to have developed a love of boating and sailing throughout her marriage to John and beyond.

Thus began the Kennedys' married life. I love this shot, which captures the sunlight streaming in through the window as they knelt in prayer during their wedding ceremony at St. Mary's Church. Jackie was only 24 years old, and deep joy and sorrow awaited her.