This was published 6 years ago
Hope lived here
As Barack Obama went from state senator to US president-elect, Callie Shell joined his family on the campaign trail. The result: a suite of intimate pictures, captured at a time of spirited optimism.
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Where it all began: Illinois State Senator Barack Obama after introducing presidential candidate Senator John Kerr at a Chicago rally on April 4. 2004.Credit:Callie Shell
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Obama fronts a town hall meeting in a gym in Davenport, eastern Iowa, on January 1, 2008. “No one could see him, so his staff found a wooden crate and made it into a stage,” says Shell. Credit:Calie Shell
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On primary morning in New Hampshire in January 2008, the Obamas find a rare moment of quiet together on an election bus after campaigning separately all week. Credit:Callie Shell
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The family watches television before a campaign rally in Massachusetts on July 4, 2008, which happens to be Malia’s 10th birthday.Credit:Callie Shell
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Sasha Obama stops by to say hi to her dad, President Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.Credit:Callie Shell
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Before this photo is taken, two staffers pass the bar and do two pull-ups each. Not to be outdone, Obama does three with ease, then walks out to make a speech.Credit:Callie Shell
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Michelle Obama looks on at the hungry press pack during a welcome ceremony with then-president of the Czech Republic, Václav Klaus, at Prague Castle in April 2009. Credit:Callie Shell
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Thousands descend on a rally at Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri. As Obama goes from underdog to frontrunner, crowds of 50,000 to 100,000 people become the norm.Credit:Callie Shell