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Color slide transparency of presidential limousine in Dealey Plaza - Towner 1
Color slide transparency of presidential limousine in Dealey Plaza - Towner 1

Color slide transparency of presidential limousine in Dealey Plaza - Towner 1

Object number2015.009.0002
Date11/22/1963
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer Jim Towner
ObjectTransparency (color)
Credit LineTowner Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions1 15/16 × 1 15/16 in. (4.9 × 4.9 cm)
Collections
DescriptionOne color slide transparency taken by Jim Towner on Friday, November 22, 1963, showing the presidential limousine turning onto Elm Street from Houston Street. This image, known as Towner 1, is the first of four pictures Towner took in Dealey Plaza that day. Secret Service agent William Greer (driving the car), the Texas Governor's wife Nellie Connally, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy all face the photographer. The passengers on the far side of the car - Secret Service agent Roy Kellerman, Texas Governor John Connally and President Kennedy - all face away from the photographer, looking toward the crowds on their right. The Dal-Tex building can be seen in the background. This image was taken with a Yashica 44-LM twin-lens still camera (2015.009.0001), and is on 35mm 127 format Kodak film. The original cardboard slide mount has been removed, revealing the full image and a black border. The top and bottom edges are unevenly cut.
Curatorial Commentary
One conspiracy theory suggests that the white truck visible in the background directly behind Governor Connally had an assassin on its roof, hidden among the cargo.  The truck, with "Clean Towel & Linen Service Company" on the side, as seen in a picture by Associated Press photographer James Altgens, was a vehicle for a dry-cleaning operation based in nearby Fort Worth doing business in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Dallas Police stopped all traffic moving through Dealey Plaza only moments before the Kennedy motorcade arrived and the truck was stuck at the crosswalk in the northern-most lane of westbound Elm Street.  The truck's location at the time of the assassination would therefore appear to be merely circumstantial. -  Gary Mack, Curator