Image of floral tributes left in Dealey Plaza days after the assassination
Object number1999.034.0012
Date11/25/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
ObjectSlide
Credit LineRobert Russell Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions2 x 2 in. (5.1 x 5.1 cm)
Collections
DescriptionOriginal 35mm color slide on Kodak Kodachrome Transparency Film taken by an unknown photographer. Immediately after the assassination and in the following days and weeks, people left flowers and mementos in Dealey Plaza in honor of President Kennedy. This picture was taken on Monday afternoon, November 25, 1963, around the time the president's body was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Image shows flowers and tributes left by mourners in the grass of Dealey Plaza. The north pergola is partially visible in the background.
Curatorial CommentaryDealey Plaza was transformed into a memorial shrine during the weekend of the assassination as mourners left wreaths, floral displays and notecards in memory of President Kennedy. One plaza visitor, George Reid, recalled in his Museum oral history: "People were starting to leave things and then, by Sunday morning, there was quite a bit of stuff there--quite a lot of flowers.... And people were coming down there, and people were standing there crying. People just bawling and just talking to each other, hugging each other, you know. It was an emotional scene that day." - Stephen Fagin, Curator
The ornate floral arrangement partially seen on the right included a flower cross and small "eternal flame." It was placed in Dealey Plaza by local real estate developer Tom Russell. Because Russell prominently put the name of his corporation on the arrangement, it was considered to be advertising by the City of Dallas Park Department. After being asked to remove the tribute from Dealey Plaza, Russell placed it in front of his home and left it standing for a full year. Mr. Russell donated photographs of the floral display and recorded an oral history with the Museum in 2004. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
The photographs donated by Robert Russell were purchased at a yard sale. The photographer is unknown, although details in the pictures, including the rope barrier, suggest they were taken on Monday, November 25, 1963. - Gary Mack, Curator (2000 - 2015)
