Pencil sketch of the Ruby trial courtroom by Gary Artzt

Since cameras were not permitted inside Judge Brown's courtroom during the Ruby trial, media outlets relied upon sketch artists to provide visuals for readers and viewers around the world eager for a glimpse of what was called at the time "the trial of the century." Dallas CBS affiliate KRLD-TV used members of its studio art department, including Gary Artzt, to create sketches of the trial on a daily basis. Other KRLD-TV sketch artists included Charles Fisher and Ken Hansen. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

This item, along with materials from the DA's Ruby file (which is on loan to the Museum) and from the Museum's permanent collection, briefly appeared in a temporary display on the Museum's seventh floor in 2017. - Lindsey Richardson, Curator of Collections

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