Scopes Trial

Object Details

Subject: Bryan, William Jennings 1860-1925; Davis, Watson; Darrow, Clarence 1857-1938; Hays, Arthur Garfield 1881-1954; Malone, Dudley Field 1882-1950; Neal, John R 1876-1959; Scopes, John Thomas; Science Service

Category: Historic Images of the Smithsonian
: Watson Davis (1896-1967), who became Science Service managing editor in 1923, took photographs when covering the Scopes trial as a reporter. Science Service is a Washington, D.C.-based organization founded in 1921 for the promotion of science writing and information about science in the media.
Summary: William Jennings Bryan (seated at left) being interrogated by Clarence Seward Darrow, during the trial of the State of Tennessee vs. John Thomas Scopes, July 20, 1925. That Monday afternoon, because of the extreme heat, Judge Raulston moved court proceedings outdoors. The session was held on a platform that had been erected at the front of the Rhea County Courthouse to accommodate ministers who wanted to preach during the time of the trial. Defense lawyers for Scopes (John R. Neal, Arthur Garfield Hays, and Dudley Field Malone) are visible seated to the extreme right. One of the men at left, with his back to the photographer, appears to be Scopes. The court reporters are seated at the table.
Contained within: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7091, Box 405, Folder 18
Contact information: Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

July 20, 1925

20th century

Physical description: Number of Images: 1; Color: Black and White; Size: 10w x 8h; Type of Image: Group, candid; Medium: Photographic print

Smithsonian Archives - History Div

Topic: Actions and defenses; Civil rights; Civil rights movements--History; Constitutional law; Creationism; Educators; Evolution--Study and teaching--Law and legislation; Modernist-fundamentalist controversy; Religion and science; Tennessee