Martin Luther King Jr.’s Prison Cell Bars (Birmingham Prison)
Object Details
- Date
- 2010; printed 2019
- Photograph by
- Platon, British, born 1968
- Subject of
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968
- Birmingham Jail, American
- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, American, founded 1992
- Description
- A black-and-white photograph of Martin Luther King Jr.’s prison cell bars in the Birmingham Prison, by Platon. The photograph depicts a close-up of the bars, lock and door to the prison cell. The lock is depicted slightly off-center, on the right. The rest of the photograph are the vertical and horizontal bars of the cell. The interior of the cell is dark. 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
- Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
- Topic
- African American
- Activism
- American South
- Civil Rights
- Law
- Photography
- Prisons
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Photographs and Still Images
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2021.33.20
- Type
- pigment prints
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Platon
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
- Medium
- pigment on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W (image): 14 3/8 × 21 1/2 in. (36.5 × 54.6 cm)
- H x W (sheet): 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm)
- H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2021.33.20
A black-and-white photograph of Martin Luther King Jr.'s prison cell bars in the Birmingham Prison, by Platon. The photograph depicts a close-up of the bars, lock and door to the prison cell. The lock is depicted slightly off-center, on the right. The rest of the photograph are the vertical and horizontal bars of the cell. The interior of the cell is dark. 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. H x W (image): 14 3/8 × 21 1/2 in. (36.5 × 54.6 cm)
H x W (sheet): 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm)
H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)