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Courtroom sketch of a man being searched during the Jack Ruby trial
Courtroom sketch of a man being searched during the Jack Ruby trial

Courtroom sketch of a man being searched during the Jack Ruby trial

Object number2002.058.0005
DateFebruary 1964 - March 1964
ClassificationsArt
Artist Gary Artzt
ObjectCourtroom sketch
Credit LineGary Artzt Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumPaper
Dimensions17 × 13 3/8 in. (43.2 × 34 cm)
Collections
DescriptionCourtroom pencil sketch on paper by KRLD artist Gary Artzt. The sketch shows a man being searched during the trial of Jack Ruby in February or March 1964. The sketch shows the unknown man, possibly a reporter, with his arms raised holding a spiral notebook. A Dallas County Sheriff's Deputy is squatting down, facing the standing figure, patting him down. Cameras were barred from the courtroom during the trial, but the judge did permit reporters and courtroom artists to stay.
Curatorial Commentary
Texas native Gary E. Artzt (1935-2001) was a noted western and wildlife artist whose paintings can be found in several museum and private collections in the United States. At the time of the Kennedy assassination, Artzt, then age 28, was working in the art department of Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and was assigned to cover the Jack Ruby trial in 1964 as a sketch artist. In 2002, the Museum acquired two of his original courtroom sketches from the Ruby trial as well as a collection of black and white photographs of other trial sketches, his press badge, and other materials. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator