Pencil sketch of the Ruby trial courtroom by Gary Artzt
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Pencil sketch of the Ruby trial courtroom by Gary Artzt
Original courtroom sketch drawn during the Jack Ruby murder trial by Gary Artzt, who covered the trial for Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD. In the drawing, Judge Joe B. Brown is seated at the bench, flanked by the American and Texas flags. A witness sits in the stand, and a single juror is visible on the right edge. At tables in front of the judge, attorneys for both the prosecution and defense are seated, while the court stenographer sits with back to the viewer. The bottom of the sketch is signed at the center edge: "2/25/64 / Jack Ruby murder trial / Gary Artzt".
Pencil sketch of the Ruby trial courtroom by Gary Artzt
02/25/1964
Paper, foam
Framed: 22 3/4 × 28 1/2 in. (57.8 × 72.4 cm)Matboard: 21 3/4 × 27 1/4 in. (55.2 × 69.2 cm)Sketch: 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm)
Gary Artzt Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
2002.058.0030
Since cameras were not permitted inside Judge Brown's courtroom during the Ruby trial, media outlets relied upon sketch artists to provide visuals for readers and viewers around the world eager for a glimpse of what was called at the time "the trial of the century." Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV used members of its studio art department, including Gary Artzt, to create sketches of the trial on a daily basis. Other KRLD-TV sketch artists included Charles Fisher and Ken Hansen. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
This item, along with materials from the DA's Ruby file (which is on loan to the Museum) and from the Museum's permanent collection, briefly appeared in a temporary display on the Museum's seventh floor in 2017. - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections
Texas native Gary E. Artzt (1935-2001) was a noted western and wildlife artist whose paintings can be found in several museum and private collections in the United States. At the time of the Kennedy assassination, Artzt, then age 28, was working in the art department of Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and was assigned to cover the Jack Ruby trial in 1964 as a sketch artist. In 2002, the Museum acquired two of his original courtroom sketches from the Ruby trial as well as a collection of black and white photographs of other trial sketches, his press badge, and other materials. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
Pencil sketch of the Ruby trial courtroom by Gary Artzt
Original courtroom sketch drawn during the Jack Ruby murder trial by Gary Artzt, who covered the trial for Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD. In the drawing, Judge Joe B. Brown is seated at the bench, flanked by the American and Texas flags. A witness sits in the stand, and a single juror is visible on the right edge. At tables in front of the judge, attorneys for both the prosecution and defense are seated, while the court stenographer sits with back to the viewer. The bottom of the sketch is signed at the center edge: "2/25/64 / Jack Ruby murder trial / Gary Artzt".
Pencil sketch of the Ruby trial courtroom by Gary Artzt
02/25/1964
Sketches
Artwork
Jack Ruby trial
Jury
Trials
Brown, Judge Joe B.
Ruby, Jack
Belli, Melvin
Tonahill, Joe H.
Wade, Henry M.
Alexander, William F.
Artzt, Gary
Dallas County Criminal Courts Building
Dallas County District Attorney's Office
KRLD-TV
Dallas
Paper, foam
Framed: 22 3/4 × 28 1/2 in. (57.8 × 72.4 cm)Matboard: 21 3/4 × 27 1/4 in. (55.2 × 69.2 cm)Sketch: 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm)
Gary Artzt Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
2002.058.0030
Since cameras were not permitted inside Judge Brown's courtroom during the Ruby trial, media outlets relied upon sketch artists to provide visuals for readers and viewers around the world eager for a glimpse of what was called at the time "the trial of the century." Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV used members of its studio art department, including Gary Artzt, to create sketches of the trial on a daily basis. Other KRLD-TV sketch artists included Charles Fisher and Ken Hansen. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
This item, along with materials from the DA's Ruby file (which is on loan to the Museum) and from the Museum's permanent collection, briefly appeared in a temporary display on the Museum's seventh floor in 2017. - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections
Texas native Gary E. Artzt (1935-2001) was a noted western and wildlife artist whose paintings can be found in several museum and private collections in the United States. At the time of the Kennedy assassination, Artzt, then age 28, was working in the art department of Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and was assigned to cover the Jack Ruby trial in 1964 as a sketch artist. In 2002, the Museum acquired two of his original courtroom sketches from the Ruby trial as well as a collection of black and white photographs of other trial sketches, his press badge, and other materials. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
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