Courtroom sketch of Prospective Juror #86 dated February 22, 1964

Object number1997.053.0003

Date02/22/1964

ClassificationsArt

Artist Charles Fisher

ObjectCourtroom sketch

Credit LineCharles Fisher Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumPaper

Dimensions14 × 16 1/2 in. (35.6 × 41.9 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionCourtroom pencil sketch on paper by Charles Fisher. The sketch shows Prospective Juror #86, an older woman, during jury selection at the trial of Jack Ruby on February 22, 1964. She has short hair, wears glasses, and a buttoned-up suit jacket. She is seated with her arms resting in front of her. A microphone is also in front of her, directed towards her face. Judge Joe B. Brown is seated to her right, slightly higher and behind, looking towards the prospective juror. The caption in the bottom right reads "Prospective Juror #86/ Jack Ruby murder trial/ Dallas Tex Feb 22, 1964." The artist's signature: "C. Fisher" is at bottom right edge, under left elbow of the figure of the prospective juror. Charles "Chuck" Fisher was the art director at KRLD-TV in 1963. Fisher made the pencil sketches during the trial of Jack Ruby for KRLD-TV after the judge barred cameras from the courtroom.

Curatorial Commentary

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza conducted an oral history with Charles Fisher and another KRLD-TV art department staff member, Kenneth Hansen, on April 8, 2004. In the interview, Fisher and Hansen discuss their experiences processing film from all over the world the weekend of the Kennedy assassination as well as serving as courtroom sketch artists for the Jack Ruby trial in 1964. Mr. Fisher passed away on June 19, 2017, and Mr. Hansen passed away December 31, 2010. - Stephanie Allen-Givens, Collections and Exhibits Manager

Curatorial Commentary

On Saturday, February 22, 1964, a total of five prospective jurors were interviewed for the Jack Ruby trial, including three women who were identified in the transcript as Mrs. Novlyn T. Ohlson, Mrs. Josephine R. Lee and Mrs. Joy Parker. None of those interviewed on February 22 were selected for the trial. By the end of that Saturday court session, only two of twelve jurors had been selected for the Ruby trial. It was probably a nerve-racking experience for any prospective juror with more than 350 reporters and photographers from around the world covering the trial at the Dallas County Criminal Courts building. According to The Dallas Morning News, more than half of the seats in Judge Brown's courtroom, 125 to be exact, were provided to reporters and artists like Charles Fisher of KRLD-TV. The rest were reserved for spectators. Upon taking the stand, all prospective jurors were asked to state their name, marital status, employment background and religious preference before responding to questions about past jury service, whether or not they knew or had heard of Jack Ruby and whether or not they could support the death penalty. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

Jury selection in the Jack Ruby trial took place between February 17 and March 3, 1964. During that two-week period, 162 prospective jurors were interviewed, which District Attorney Henry Wade informed the news media was not a Dallas County record. Of the 162 individuals interviewed for the Ruby trial, twelve were accepted, eighteen were challenged by the defense team, eleven were challenged by the prosecution, sixty-two were ruled out because they were against the death penalty, fifty-eight were ruled out because they held fixed opinions on the case, and one was excused due to illness. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator