<I>Reverends Joseph Lowery, C. T. Vivian, Andrew Young and Fred Shuttlesworth</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2009; printed 2019
name: label: Photograph by
content: Platon, British, born 1968
label: Subject of
content: Rev. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery, American, 1921 - 2020
label: Subject of
content: Rev. C. T. Vivian, American, 1924 - 2020
label: Subject of
content: Andrew Jackson Young, American, born 1932
label: Subject of
content: Fred Shuttlesworth, American, 1922 - 2011
label: Subject of
content: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968
label: Subject of
content: Ebenezer Baptist Church, American, founded 1886
notes: label: Description
content: A black-and-white photograph of the Reverends Joseph Lowery, C. T. Vivian, Andrew Young, and Fred Shuttlesworth, by Platon. The photograph depicts Lowery, Vivian, Young, and Shuttlesworth posing in front the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Lowery, Vivian, and Young are gathered together, standing above Shuttlesworth, who is seated in a wheelchair at the center of the photograph. The photograph was taken from a low vantage point, looking up towards the men and the Ebenezer Baptist Church sign above them. All four men have their eyes closed with looks of deep concentration on their faces, as if praying.
label: Description
content: Shuttlesworth is depicted with his eyes closed, and his chin tilted downwards. His elbows are propped on the arms of his wheelchair and his forearms are raised, holding Lowery’s and Young’s hands. He is wearing a sharkskin fabric, medium tone suit with a light tone dress shirt, a white pocket square, and a tie with a circular pattern.
label: Description
content: Standing top left is Lowery. He is holding Shuttlesworth’s proper right hand with his own. He is leaning towards Vivian and Young. His eyes are closed and his mouth is downturned. He is wearing a dark tone, thin striped suit, a light tone, polka dot dress shirt, and a rectangular patterned tie. He has a medal with a five-pointed star pinned to his proper shoulder.
label: Description
content: Standing top center is Vivian with his chin tilted upwards, his eyes closed, and his brows furrowed. He is wearing a dark tone suit, light tone dress shirt, and a diamond patterned tie. Standing top right is Young, leaning over Shuttlesworth’s proper left shoulder. He is holding Shuttlesworth’s proper left hand with his proper right hand. His proper left hand is resting on the top of Shuttlesworth’s armrest. He is wearing a dark tone suit and a dark tone striped dress shirt.
label: Description
content: In the background, on the right, is the brick façade and diagonal roofline of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Centered above the group is the church’s neon sign which has a bright neon cross at the top and neon text below that reads [EBENEZER / BAPTIST / CHURCH]. There are several powerlines visible above the church sign. 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: label: Place printed
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
label: Place captured
content: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Baptist
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Faith
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Politics
label: Topic
content: Prayer
label: Topic
content: Religion
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.33.11
objectType: label: Type
content: pigment prints
label: Type
content: portraits
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Platon
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: pigment on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 19 3/4 × 14 1/4 in. (50.2 × 36.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (sheet): 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)