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Image of a camera misfire
Image of a camera misfire

Image of a camera misfire

Object number1989.100.0023.0001
Date11/22/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer William Allen
ObjectNegative (b&w)
Credit LineWilliam Allen, photographer, Dallas Times Herald Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions15/16 x 1 7/16 in. (2.4 x 3.6 cm)
DescriptionOriginal 35mm black and white negative taken by Dallas Times Herald staff photographer William Allen. The image is truncated because it was the first picture taken on this roll of film. The partial image is a camera misfire which appears to show a sidewalk and part of a person's shoe. Photographers would sometimes snap a photo of nothing in particular just to make sure that the film was advancing through the camera properly. It is not known whether this misfire was deliberate or accidental. Because this shot is one the first picture on the roll, it seems more likely to have been a deliberate misfire.