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The Assassination of John F. Kennedy or Hertz 12:30

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy or Hertz 12:30

2012-14, revised 2018
128” x 37.5”
Archival print

On Friday November 22, 1963 at 12:30pm, the President of the United States is assassinated in Dealy Plaza, Dallas, Texas during a campaign visit. Texas Governor, John Connelly, riding in the jump seats, is also wounded from the gunfire.

Many years in the making, this narrative landscape is a vast montage of manipulated film stills from footage shot by Abraham Zapruder, Mark Bell, Robert Hugh, George Jeffries, Mary Muchmore, Otto Nix and numerous colorized still photographs. The work is supplemented with a subsequent black and white FBI film reconstruction.

The Assassination of John F. Kennedy is part of a tetralogy of pivotal U.S. assassinations from the 1960's and includes Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy and Malcolm X.

the Assassination of John F. Kennedy
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination The fatal head shot.
The Assassination of JFK - detail
The fatal headshot, frame 313 of the Zapruder film with the two closest witnesses, Jean Hill and Mary Ann Mooreman. Mooreman, who was taking photographs, reported hearing Mrs. Kennedy cry out "My God he had been shot" as well as hearing 3-4 rapid shots. Hill has reported seeing a figure, possibly Jack Ruby, running from the Texas School Book Depository toward the picket fence area, and of seeing clouds of smoke from the grassy knoll. Mrs. Kennedy testified to the Warren Commision, "I was looking this way, to the left, and I heard these terrible noises. You know. And my husband never made any sound. So I turned to the right. And all I remember is seeing my husband, he had this sort of quizzical look on his face, and his hand was up, it must have been his left hand. And just as I turned and looked at him, I could see a piece of his skull and I remember it was flesh colored. I remember thinking he just looked as if he had a slight headache. And I just remember seeing that. No blood or anything. And then he sort of did this [indicating], put his hand to his forehead and fell in my lap. And then I just remember falling on him and saying, "Oh, no, no, no," I mean, "Oh, my God, they have shot my husband." And "I love you, Jack," I remember I was shouting. And just being down in the car with his head in my lap. And it just seemed an eternity. You know, then, there were pictures later on of me climbing out the back. But I don't remember that at all. "
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination Mrs. Kennedy scrambles onto the trunk of the limousine.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Frame 345 of the Zapruder film, pictured: top-left Richard Bothun, a railway worker and amateur photographer, top-center James W. “Ike” Altgens, an AP photographer and Malcolm Summers, a police officer captured taking cover; foreground: Bill and Gayle Newman and their two children.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination The presidential motorcade turns down Elm Street.
The Assassination of JFK - detail
The Kennedy motorcade turns on to Elm St. moments before the first shot hits the president.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination The president is shot in the throat.
The Assassination of JFK - detail
The first shot hits the president, he clutches his throat while Gov. Connolly is hit by either the same bullet or by a second shot, which Connolly maintains in his testimony. Immediate witnesses standing closeby inlcude the "umbrella man", Louie Steven Witt, an unidentified waving man now known as the "Dark Complected Man", and Cheryl McKinnon, a journalism student who reported seeing clouds of white smoke from the grassy knoll.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination Mrs. Kennedy attends to the president.
The Assassination of JFK -detail
The first lady comforts the president while the unidentified"Babuska Lady" films from behind Charles Brehm, a WWII vet, and his 5 year old son, Joe. Brehm reported that a portion of the President's skull was driven back and sharply to the left, over the rear of the President's car and of hearing a third shot after the fatal head shot, although he was never called as a witness for the Warren Commission.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination Mrs. Kennedy scrambles onto the trunk of the limousine.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Frame 369 of the Zapruder film, Mrs. Kennedy climbs onto the trunk of the limousine to retrieve part of the president's sckull while security officer, Clint Hill, scrambles to board the vehicle. Hill testified to hearing two shots from the right rear, "The second one had almost a double sound--as though you were standing against something metal and firing into it, and you hear both the sound of a gun going off and the sound of the cartridge hitting the metal place, which could have been caused probably by the hard surface of the head. But I am not sure that that is what caused it."
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Frame 384 of the Zapruder film, Mrs. Kennedy notices Clint Hill as he reaches out to her to get her back into her seat as the Texas sun clints off the limousine into Zapruder's lens.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Charles and Beatrice Hester.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Commerce Street and an adjacent parking lot.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination The Texas School Book Depository
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
The Texas School Book Depository.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination The Texas School Book Depository Entrance
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
The Texas School Book Depository entrance, Billy Lovelady, who resembled Oswald, stands in the doorway.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination The Texas School Book Depository 6th Floor window
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
The Texas School Book, 3 TSBD employees eat lunch at windows on the 5th floor, left to right: James Jarman Jr., Bonnie Ray Williams, and Harold Norman.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination, witnesses watch from the triple underpass
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Railway workers watch from the triple underpass.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination Abraham Zapruder and Marilyn Sitzman
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
Marilyn Sitzman supports Abraham Zapruder as he films the assassination. Sitzman's testimony described a young black couple eating lunch and drinking sodas on a bench who fled allong the path to the area behind the pergola. Sitzman recalled hearing a soda bottle breaking as they ran. Over the years, Sitzman continued to maintain that the shots she heard came from the direction of the Texas School Book Depository but added that she believed there was a possibility that there was a second gunman, stating "I have no qualms saying that I'm almost sure that there was someone behind the fence or in that area up there [near the fence], but I'm just as sure that they had silencers because there was no sound." Zapruder added that he had assumed the shots came from behind him because the President's head went backwards from the fatal shot, and also that the wound on the side of the President's head was facing that direction. He also said he believed it because police officers immediatelly ran up the knoll to the area behind him.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination, John Dolan stops his car and gets out to view the presidential motorcade.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
"Inasmuch as all traffic was stopped, he got out of his car and stood at the base of the triple viaduct, facing toward the concrete memorial, which is on the north aide of Elm Street and just west of the Texas School Bock Depository. As he was standing at this point, and prior to the arrival of the Presidential motorcade, he noticed an unknown white male tossing a white ball, about the size of a softball, in the air. This person would throw the ball up and seem to catch it himself and it caught his eye inasmuch as this person appeared to be about 30 years of age and waa wearing white sneakers. He further described tbis individual as being about six feet tall with black curly hair, wearing dark colored jacket and non-descriptive pants. Shortly after he noticed this individual, the Presidential motorcade came into view and from where he stood he could hear three shots fired at the President’s car. Be advised he did not see where these shots came from, nor who fired these shots, but thought possibly the individual who he has described and who was standing on tbe grass triangle between Elm and Main streets , might possibly have either been decoy or a signal for the assassin when to shoot." John F. Dolan FBI report
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination, J.C. Price NE corner of the roof of the Terminal Annex Building
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail
"This day at about 12:35 PM I was on the roof of the Terminal Annex Bldg on the NE corner when the presidential motorcade came down Main to Houston, North on Houston and then West on Elm. The cars had proceeded west on Elm and was [sic] just a short distance from the Tripple [sic] underpass, when I saw Gov. Connelly [sic] slump over. I did not see the president as his car had gotten out of my view under the underpass. There was a volley of shots, and then much later, maybe as much as five minutes [sic!] later, another one. I saw one man run towards the passenger cars on the railroad siding after the volley of shots. This man had a white dress shirt, no tie and kahki [sic] colored trousers. His hair appeared to be long and dark and his agility running could be about 35 yrs [sic] of age. He had something in his hand. I couldn't be sure but it may have been a head piece." J.C. Price statement
the Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail the fatal headshot.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail. The fatal headshot.
the Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail, closeup of the fatal headshot.
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy - detail. The fatal headshot - closeup.
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination - detail
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination - detail
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination - detail
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination - detail Texas School Book Depository
JFK Assassination, Nov 22nd, 1963
JFK Assassination - detail Abraham Zapruder

Version 1 2012-2014

JFK assassination
The Assassination of JFK
JFK assassination
The Assassination of JFK
The Texas School Book Depository showing the open window on the 6th floor where Oswald is alleged to have fired the shots.
JFK assassination
The Assassination of JFK
The President's limousine turns down Elm St. moments before the shooting begins.
JFK assassination
Hertz 12:30 or The Assassination of JFK
Frames 237 and 275 showing the president reaching for his throat after the first gunshot wound; Cheryl McKinnon, a journalism major, watches while Doris Mumford falls to the grass in a pose reminiscent of Wyeth's Christina's World.
JFK assassination head shot
The Assassination of JFK
Frame 313 and the fatal head shot.
JFK assassination Clint Hill
The Assassination of JFK
Secret Service agent Clint Hill struggles to get onboard while Jacqueline Kennedy gasps as fragments of the President’s skull are blown onto the trunk of their Lincoln Continental limousine. Background: photojournalist Ike Altgens, Officer Malcolm Summers Foreground: Bill and Gayle Newman and their 2 sons, Clayton, 2, and Bill, 4..
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination Jackie
The Assassination of JFK
Jacqueline Kennedy, having retrieved fragments of the President's skull, slides back to her husband as their limousine speeds away.
JFK assassination
The Assassination of JFK
Spectators duck for cover.
John F. Kennedy JFK assassination Zapruder filming
The Assassination of JFK
The Kennedy car speeds past the Forthworth Turnpike sign toward the Parkland Hospital. In the foreground, composites of Abraham Zapruder filming while his secretary, Marilyn Sitzman, supports him. The man with the stetson hat walking away is from a later FBI film reconstruction and represents the conspiratorial elements of the assassination. A young African-American couple who were never identified lunch on the grassy knoll and immediately flee breaking a Coke bottle.
JFK assassination
The Assassination of JFK - (reduced)
Redhead Gallery, 2016