- 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.