Courtoom sketch of Dr. Sheff Ohlinger dated March 11, 1964

Object number1997.053.0005

Date03/11/1964

ClassificationsArt

Artist Charles Fisher

ObjectCourtroom sketch

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

MediumPaper

Dimensions14 x 16 3/4 in. (35.6 x 42.5 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionCourtroom pencil sketch on paper by Charles Fisher. The sketch shows medical expert Dr. Ohlinger testifying during the trial of Jack Ruby on March 11, 1964. The sketch shows the figure of Dr. Ohlinger facing towards the viewer. In the background is shading of a wall with the bottom of a fringed Texas state flag hanging vertically just above, behind and to the right of the subject. The caption in the top right reads "Dr. Ohlinger, disagrees with Belli's Med. Expert, 3/11/64," and the caption "Fisher" is located in the bottom right. The artist's signature: "C. Fisher" is at bottom left, underneath the figure. 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

Dr. Sheff Daniel Olinger (1930-2013) joined the U.S. Army right out of medical school in 1953 and served as surgeon and neuropsychiatrist in the 82nd Airborne Division. He entered private practice in Dallas in 1959 and became the first Director of Neurology at Baylor Hospital, in addition to teaching part-time at UT Southwestern Medical School and Parkland Memorial Hospital. After retiring from the medical profession, he became a full-time farmer in North Carolina. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator