Arraignment of Sit-In Demonstrators Arrested at the Memphis Public Library
Artist
Ernest C. Withers
(American, 1922–2007)
Date1960
Mediumgelatin silver print
Dimensions27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustin S. Garver Fund
Terms
Object number2004.16.7
DescriptionRepresented by Legal Staff of the Memphis Branch NAACP. Left to right: Ben Jones, Jeff Estes, A. W. Willis, Russell Sugarman, Benjamin Hooks, Odell Horton, Patrolman Martin, Lt. Tim McCarver, Detective Tony Lowell, and Art Shay, Deputy City Attorney.Label TextThese images illustrate two groups vying for personal freedoms. Edward Savage’s print is an invented depiction of notable Revolutionary figures inside Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Ernest Withers’ photograph shows the arraignment of a group of African American students, who were involved in a sit-in at the Memphis Public Library after being denied access to its services in March of 1960. Although they illustrate two distinct realities, both images deal with the ability to control and access different spaces, whether geopolitical or civic. The adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 marked symbolic moments in these disparate events.ProvenanceG.W. Einstein Co., New York, NY
On View
Not on view
