Ethel Kennedy, Los Angeles
About this artwork
This dramatic photograph of Ethel Kennedy stirred controversy and debate over the ethics of photojournalism following its publication hours after the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, 1968. Led to where her husband lay Mrs Kennedy bent down by his side and whispered “I’m with you my baby”. She then stood, turned to the crown and shouted “give him air”. Benson has captured this moment of raw emotion and trauma perfectly. Her outreached hand is blurred and slightly obscures her face, yet her eyes engage the viewer and reveal her anguish. Just after securing this shot, Benson was knocked to the floor by a Kennedy aide. Instinctively he changed films and hid the valuable spool, which featured many of his iconic pictures of the scene, down his sock.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Harry Benson (born 1929) Scottish
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title:Ethel Kennedy, Los Angeles
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date created:1968; printed 2007
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materials:Gelatin silver print
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measurements:32.70 x 26.30 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased from the photographer 2007
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accession number:PGP 374.4
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gallery:
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subject:
Harry Benson
Harry Benson
Benson’s career as a photojournalist has been extraordinary. Born in Glasgow, he left school aged thirteen and began working for a local paper, the Hamilton Advertiser. In 1958 he graduated to the cut-throat centre of the tabloid press on London’s Fleet Street, working for the Daily Sketch and then...