Photograph by
Platon, British, born 1968
Subject of
Reverend Parker, Wheeler Jr., American, born 1939
Wright, Simeon, American, 1942 - 2017
Till, Emmett, American, 1941 - 1955
Date
2009; printed 2019
Medium
pigment on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 14 15/16 × 21 7/16 in. (37.9 × 54.4 cm)
H x W (sheet): 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm)
H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
Description
A black-and-white photograph of Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr. and Simeon Wright, cousins of Emmett Till, by Platon. Parker and Wright are depicted on the left side of the photograph, standing next to a parked railroad caboose. Both men are shown from the legs up, looking at the viewer, and wearing serious expressions on their faces. Parker stands on the left with his fingers laced together and held at waist level. He is wearing a medium tone suit, a black dress shirt, a dark pocket square, and a square patterned tie. He is also wearing a medium tone Stetson hat with a black band. Wright stands on the right with his proper right arm linked through Parker’s proper left arm and his other hand resting behind his back. He is wearing a light tone suit, a white dress shirt, a light tone pocket square, and a light tone patterned tie. He is also wearing a medium tone Stetson hat with a light band. On the right side of the photograph are empty train tracks and a partially visible caboose of a train. There is illegible stenciled text and graffiti on the long side of the caboose and additional stenciled text on the visible short end. 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.
Place printed
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Place captured
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Type
pigment prints
portraits
Topic
Activism
American South
Christianity
Civil rights
Hate crimes
Photography
Race discrimination
Religion
Segregation
Violence
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
Object number
2021.33.9
Restrictions & Rights
© Platon
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd540b184bf-0da1-4dec-9fa1-f7cf8f3a2a05

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

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