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Image of the presidential party in the limousine at Love Field
Image of the presidential party in the limousine at Love Field

Image of the presidential party in the limousine at Love Field

Object number1994.003.0009.0005
Date11/22/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer Tom C. Dillard
ObjectNegative (b&w)
Credit LineTom C. Dillard Collection, The Dallas Morning News/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions1 x 1 1/2 in. (2.5 x 3.8 cm)
Collections
DescriptionOriginal black and white 35mm negative by Dallas Morning News chief photographer Tom Dillard. The image shows Governor and Mrs. Connally occupying the jump-seats in front of President and Mrs. Kennedy. Both women hold bouquets of roses - Jacqueline Kennedy's were red, Nellie Connally's were yellow. Secret Service agent Clint Hill, assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, stands behind her and Secret Service agent Roy Kellerman rides in the front seat.
Curatorial Commentary
This photograph demonstrates that the middle jump seats, where Governor and Mrs. Connally were seated, were several inches lower than the rear seat of the presidential limousine. This is a significant point when considering the single or "magic" bullet theory. Inaccurate models place President Kennedy and Governor Connally at the same height in perfect alignment. In reality, at the time of the shooting, Govenor Connally was approximately four inches lower than President Kennedy and three inches further inboard. In his 1964 Warren Commission testimony, Governor Connally estimated that the Kennedys were seated "approximately six inches higher than the jump seats on which Mrs. Connally and I sat." -- Stephen Fagin, Curator 
The man in a suit with his hands behind his back, standing a short distance behind Mrs. Kennedy, is American Airlines executive Walter Henry Hagan who, among other things, acted as the airport’s “celebrity greeter.” - Gary Mack, Curator