John R. Lewis
Social Media Share Tools
Object Details
- Artist
- Danny Lyon, born 16 Mar 1942
- Sitter
- John Robert Lewis, 21 Feb 1940 - 17 Jul 2020
- Exhibition Label
- Born near Troy, Alabama
- Advocating nonviolence “not just as a technique, but as a way of life,” activist John Lewis (now a longstanding member of Congress) endured repeated beatings and arrests while leading civil rights protests during the 1960s. A founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) when he was just nineteen, Lewis took the lead in organizing the freedom rides, sit-ins, marches, and other demonstrations that were part of the SNCC’s drive to end racial segregation and secure voting rights for millions of disenfranchised African Americans. In the summer of 1962, he initiated a direct-action campaign challenging segregation in the community of Cairo, Illinois. As Lewis (far left) and other demonstrators knelt in prayer during a vigil outside the city’s “whites only” swimming pool, Danny Lyon captured this compelling image. A University of Chicago student, Lyon soon became SNCC’s official photographer and documented the organization’s civil rights efforts for several years.
- Nacido cerca de Troy, Alabama
- Abogando por la no violencia “no sólo como técnica, sino como forma de vida”, el activista John Lewis (hoy miembro del Congreso de larga data) sufrió repetidas palizas y arrestos mientras lideraba las protestas por los derechos civiles durante los años 60. Fundador del Comité Coordinador Estudiantil No Violento (SNCC, por sus siglas en inglés) con sólo diecinueve años, Lewis lideró la organización de caminatas, sentadas, marchas y otro tipo de manifestaciones por la libertad, que fueron parte de la campaña del SNCC para terminar con la segregación racial y asegurar el derecho a voto de millones de afroamericanos. En el verano de 1962, inició una campaña de acción directa que desafiaba la segregación en la comunidad de Cairo, Illinois. Cuando Lewis (extremo izquierdo) y otros manifestantes rezaban arrodillados durante una vigilia en el exterior de la piscina “sólo para blancos” de la ciudad, Danny Lyon capturó esta cautivadora imagen. Lyon, un estudiante de la Universidad de Chicago, pronto se convirtió en el fotógrafo oficial del SNCC y durante varios años documentó la lucha por los derechos civiles de la organización.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist and the Jan Kesner Gallery, Los Angeles
- 1962
- Object number
- NPG.95.16
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 16.2 x 24.2cm (6 3/8 x 9 1/2")
- Sheet: 20.3 x 25.3cm (8 x 9 15/16")
- Mat: 35.6 x 45.7cm (14 x 18")
- Place
- United States\Illinois\Alexander\Cairo
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Architecture\Window
- Exterior\Cityscape
- John Robert Lewis: Male
- John Robert Lewis: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist
- John Robert Lewis: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Georgia
- John Robert Lewis: Politics and Government\Politician
- John Robert Lewis: Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.95.16
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a374d8ed-12c1-4615-a28f-c53db34ecb2f
Related Content
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.