New photography by Pat Cagney captured with a digital camera.

Dr. King's Children View His Body Lying in State, Sisters’ Chapel, Spellman College, Atlanta

Artist Benedict J. Fernandez (American, b. 1936)

CultureAmerican

Date1968; printed ca. 1989

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 12 1/4 × 8 1/4 in. (31.1 × 21 cm)
Overall: 13 7/8 × 11 in. (35.2 × 27.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)

Credit LineGift of Kodak and Michael S. Engl

Object number97.17.12

Not on view

DescriptionThis gelatin silver print depicts Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s children viewing his body lying in state at Sisters' Chapel, Spellman College, Atlanta, GA. Pictured are Yolanda, Berenice, and Martin Luther King, III. Not pictured is Dexter Scott King.

Label TextBenedict J. Fernandez American, b. 1936 Dr. King's Children View His Body Lying in State, Sisters’ Chapel, Spellman College, Atlanta, April 6, 1968 Gelatin silver print (photograph) Coretta Scott and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had four children: Yolanda Denise (center), Martin Luther III (right), Bernice Albertine (between them), and Dexter Scott (not pictured). As adults, the King siblings have all been activists for social justice through various organizations, including the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Human Rights Campaign. In 1984, following their father’s example, Yolanda, Bernice, and Martin III were arrested during protests against South Africa’s apartheid policies. Gift of Kodak and Michael S. Engl 97.17.12 Exhibition History"Countdown to Eternity: Photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Ben Fernandez," Kaufman Theatre Lobby, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA., September 26, 2008 - March 1, 2009. "Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, from the Museum Collection", THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART, NORFOLK, VA, February 6 - May 31, 1998. "Appeal of this Age: Photography of the Civil Rights Movement", THE CHRYSLER MUSUEM OF ART, NORFOLK, VA., December 21, 1996 - March 2, 1997. "Women and the Civil Rights Movement," Photography Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 14 - October 30, 2016. Published ReferencesSteven Kasher, THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT A PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY, 1954-68, (New York: Abeville Press Publishers, 1996), 232.