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Press Coverage of First Birthday Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.

African American Museum

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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    Object Details

    Photograph by

    Horace C. Henry, American, born 1948

    Subject of

    Coretta Scott King, American, 1927 - 2006
    Harry Belafonte Jr., American, 1927 - 2023
    Unidentified Man or Men
    Unidentified Woman or Women
    Rev. Martin Luther King Sr, American, 1899 - 1984
    Alberta King, American, 1904 - 1974

    Printed by

    Unidentified

    Subject of

    Ebenezer Baptist Church, American, founded 1886

    Caption

    Notice the press covering the program as Mrs. King is surrounded by family members and friends. I have been told that there are very few recorded and published images from this first birthday celebration which make the photographs that you are seeing here extremely rare. I've seen no others.

    Description

    This black and white photograph shows the King family seated inside Ebenezer Baptist Church for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday commemoration in 1969. Coretta Scott King is seated in the center of the photograph. Harry Belafonte is seated to the proper left of King and there is an unidentified woman to the proper left of Belafonte. To the other side of Coretta Scott King, Alberta and Martin Luther King Sr. are seated. There are unidentified men behind the family along with press and their equipment. The back of the photograph has a manufacturer's mark, and handwritten and printer's inscriptions.

    Credit Line

    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Horace C. Henry

    Date

    January 15, 1969; printed 2011

    Object number

    2011.94.27

    Restrictions & Rights

    © Horace Henry
    Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

    Type

    inkjet prints

    Medium

    ink on paper

    Dimensions

    H x W: 11 x 14 in. (27.9 x 35.6 cm)

    Place captured

    Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

    See more items in

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

    Portfolio/Series

    One Day in January: A Collection of Images Taken at Dr. King’s First Memorial Service

    Classification

    Photographs and Still Images

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    Actors
    Baptist
    Civil Rights
    Photography
    Religion
    Religious rituals and ceremonies
    Singers (Musicians)
    The Black Church
    U.S. History, 1961-1969

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e9175c2f-6efe-4b51-afcf-7a6465b6e823

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2011.94.27

    Discover More

    Martin Luther King Jr. with arm outstretched with the columns of the Lincoln Memorial behind him

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – A Drum Major for Justice

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