Martin Luther King Jr.’s Chair

Object Details

Photograph by: Platon, British, born 1968
Subject of: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968; Ebenezer Baptist Church, American, founded 1886

Description: A black-and-white photograph of a chair owned by Martin Luther King Jr., by Platon. At the center of the photograph is a leather, wingback chair on a four ball caster, metal, swivel base. The chair appears to be dark leather. The wings of the chair flare outwards and stretch down to the flared armrests. The top of the backrest is parabola shaped. The seat is a thin, plain cushion. The background of the photograph is bright white. The photograph has a thick white border. The edition number, [5/12], is printed in the bottom left corner. The photographer’s signature and date, [Platon 19], is handwritten in the bottom right corner. Inside the border, at the bottom center, is the photographer’s embossed mark: [PLATON ? / EDITIONED ? / PRINT ?[encircled between two bands of embossed dots]]. The back of the photograph is plain and white.

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon

2010; printed 2019

Restrictions & Rights: © Platon; Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Medium: pigment on paper
Dimensions: H x W: 20 × 24 in. (50.8 × 61 cm); H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)

Place printed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
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
Classification: Photographs and Still Images

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic: African American; Activism; Baptist; Civil Rights; Photography; Religion

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd52546ffda-033c-48aa-bbc8-1fea67aee660