- Photograph by
- Platon, British, born 1968
- Subject of
- Ku Klux Klan, 2nd, American, 1915 - 1944
- Date
- 2010; printed 2019
- Medium
- pigment on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 19 3/4 × 14 1/4 in. (50.2 × 36.2 cm)
- H x W (sheet): 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
- H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
- Description
- A black-and-white photograph of Ku Klux Klan Regalia, by Platon. At the center of the photograph are a set of white, full length, Klan robes and a matching hood displayed on a form. The hood is conical-shaped and has a back flap with squared corners. The face mask attached to the pointed hood is pulled down. The robe is secured at the front with a row of buttons. Sewn over the proper left breast is a machine embroidered, round patch with a light tone, square cross outlined in black against a medium tone background. At the center of the cross is a black outlined, white diamond with an embroidered “blood drop,” oriented vertically inside the white diamond. The design is typically referred to as the "Mystic Insignia of a Klansman" (MIOAK). The robes and hood are slightly wrinkled. The background of the photograph is black. The photograph has a thick white border. The edition number, [5/12], is printed in the bottom left corner. The photographer’s signature and date, [Platon 19], is handwritten in the bottom right corner. Inside the border, at the bottom center, is the photographer’s embossed mark: [PLATON ? / EDITIONED ? / PRINT ?[encircled between two bands of embossed dots]]. The back of the photograph is plain and white.
- Statement
- Objects depicting symbols of hate or related to organized hate groups may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate history and culture.
- Place printed
- New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Place captured
- Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Photographs and Still Images
- Type
- pigment prints
- Topic
- Associations and institutions
- Civil rights
- Clothing and dress
- Hate crimes
- Photography
- Race discrimination
- Societies
- Violence
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
- Object number
- 2021.33.26
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Platon
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




