Photograph by
Louw, Joseph, South African, 1945 - 2004
Subject of
Dr. King, Martin Luther Jr., American, 1929 - 1968
Young, Andrew Jackson, American, born 1932
Rev. Abernathy, Ralph David, American, 1926 - 1990
McCollough, Marrell, American, born 1944
Rev. Jackson, Jesse, American, born 1941
Unidentified Man or Men
Unidentified Woman or Women
Date
April 4, 1968
Medium
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
Dimensions
H x W (Image): 9 × 12 1/2 in. (22.7 × 31.6 cm)
H x W x D (Frame): 18 11/16 × 22 1/16 × 1 in. (47.5 × 56 × 2.5 cm)
Description
A black and white photograph of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. taken on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. The walkway outside of room 306, where King was staying, is shown on the right side of the image. Three people are standing and pointing across the street in the direction of the gunshot. Andrew Young is on the left with Jesse Jackson mostly obscured behind him. An unidentified woman is standing to the right in front of Ralph Abernathy, who is partially visible. In front of Young, Martin Luther King Jr. is lying on the ground. Marrell McCollough is kneeling next to King with one hand on the railing. There are people standing in the parking lot below including Memphis police officers. Two cars can be seen parked below the balcony. The reverse of the image is covered in numerous inscriptions from press agencies, in French and English, stamps, and lines.
Place depicted
Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Media Arts-Photography
Type
gelatin silver prints
Topic
Activism
Civil rights
Hate crimes
Photography
Race discrimination
U.S. History, 1961-1969
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gifted by Jeffrey Coopersmith
Object number
2017.73
Restrictions & Rights
© The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5ed06545b-8134-4793-a64e-36e7ba51bc97

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page