Rarely seen photos show Michelle Obama's journey from childhood to First Lady and beyond

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Olivia Tobin13 November 2018

A rarely seen collection of images from Michelle Obama's new book document her incredible journey from childhood to First Lady.

The images, from new book Becoming, show Mrs Obama at various stages in her life, from her time as a student in Princeton to her role in the White House.

Rarely-seen photographs of Mrs Obama as a girl have also been shared, as the novel looks at her time before she was the First Lady, when she was known as Michelle Robinson.

Photos from various stages of her life feature, including a touching one from her wedding day to former president Barack Obama.

Michelle Robinson at Princeton
Obama-Robinson Archive

Another image shows her resting her head on her husband with her eyes closed as they sit in a train carriage following an early morning rally and late night of campaigning.

Michelle Obama as a young woman
Obama-Robinson Family Archives

The photos also document the former First Lady taking a selfie with the family dog Bo in the White House Kitchen Garden and she and her husband laughing as he eats a snack in the White House lift after the celebration of Cinco de Mayo in 2009.

Michelle Obama takes a photograph of Bo, the Obama family dog, in the White House Kitchen Garden, April 11, 2013
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

The snaps show her embracing her daughters and hugging schoolgirls at a visit to Oxford University.

Michelle Obama with her daughters at the White House
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

The upcoming book sees Mrs Obama speak about her roots, her time in the White House, her public health campaign and motherhood.

Michelle Obama as a baby
Obama-Robinson Family Archives

In one extract, she wrote: "I wanted the White House to be a place where everyone would feel at home and kids could be themselves. I hope that they’d see their stories reflected in ours, and maybe have a chance to jump double Dutch with the First Lady."

Michelle Obama on her graduation day
Obama-Robinson Family Archives

A photograph from the book shows her skipping excitedly with children in the grounds of the US President's residence.

Michelle Obama and her husband laughing as he eats a snack in the White House lift after the celebration of Cinco de Mayo in 2009.
Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

She explained how she had bonded immediately with the pupils as she saw how they would have to fight the “invisibility that comes with being poor, female and of colour”.

: BECOMING by Michelle Obama is out now and available in all good bookshop (£25).