Countdown to eternity

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Description: Depictions from the last year in the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during 1967 and 1968, consisting of candid shots and views of King; with his wife Coretta Scott King and family members; and with colleagues, associates and supporters. Of note are depictions of King taking part in the Solidarity Day parade and rally, outside the United Nations, in New York City (April 15, 1967); King giving the keynote address at the National Conference for New Politics Convention, in Chicago, Illinois (August 31, 1967); and King in Atlanta, Georgia (ca. November 1967), having lunch with his family, playing catch with his sons, working in his office, and leading a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Also depicted are King's children, Yolanda, Bernice and Martin Luther III, viewing his body lying in state in Sisters Chapel, Spelman College, Atlanta (April 7, 1968); and two supporters of the striking Memphis, Tennessee, sanitation workers also honoring King (April 1968).Additional images related to the final year of Dr. King's life may be found in the Benedict Fernandez Photographers Portfolio.
Names: Eastman Kodak Company. Professional Photography Division (Publisher); Fernandez, Benedict J. (Photographer)
Dates / Origin: Date Issued: 1989; Place: Rochester, N.Y.; Publisher: Eastman Kodak Co.
Library locations: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division; Shelf locator: Sc Photo Portfolio (Fernandez, B.J. Countdown to eternity)
Topics: Jr, King, Martin Luther, 1929-1968; African American civil rights workers; Civil rights leaders -- United States -- 1960-1969; African American religious leaders; African Americans -- Civil rights; African American families; Demonstrations -- New York (State) -- New York -- 1960-1969; Public speaking -- United States -- 1960-1969
Genres: Portraits; Group portraits; Photographs
Notes: Statement of responsibility: by Ben Fernandez.; Content: Title taken from portfolio cover.; Content: All photographs bear photographer's signature and handwritten edition number on recto.; Content: Schomburg Center's copy is number 12 in a limited edition of 50.; Content: "The images were created in the 1960's by photographer Ben Hernandez on KODAK TRI-X Pan Professional Film, 135-size. The prints in this portfolio were made on KODAK ELITE Fine-Art Paper, S-surface." -Verso of portfolio cover and text plate.; Content: "This limited-edition portfolio of prints in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is presented by the Professional Photography Division of Eastman Kodak Company." -Verso of portfolio cover and text plate.; Biographical/historical: Benedict J. Fernandez, born in 1936 in New York City, is a photojournalist and educator. Fernandez, who had been mentored by art director and graphic designer Alexey Brodovitch, began, through Brodovitch, a long association in 1963 with the currently named Parsons the New School for Design, first as a darkroom manager, then later (1970) as photography department founder and chairman until 1992. During the 1960s, Fernandez's photojournalism included studies of New York City street life, the national activities of the civil rights movement, and documenting the last year in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the 1990s, Fernandez was founder/CEO of the Hoboken (New Jersey) Almanac of Photography and Almanac Gallery. His published works include "In Opposition; Images of American Dissent in the Sixties" (1968), "Countdown to Eternity" (1993), "Protest" (1996), and "I Am a Man" (1996). Fernandez died in Oxford, New York in 2021.; Publications: Countdown to Eternity: the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: a Catalogue of the Exhibition of Photographs, by Benedict J. Fernandez. Pittsburgh, Pa. : Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, 1993.; Exhibitions: Exhibited: "Countdown to Eternity" continuing traveling exhibition since 1990, exhibited in the United States, Europe and Africa.
Physical Description: Gelatin silver prints; Extent: 1 portfolio (12 photographic prints, 1 text plate) ;48 x 38 cm; Extent: 7 photographic prints :gelatin silver, black and white, matted ;28 x 36 cm (prints), 36 x 46 cm (mats); Extent: 5 photographic prints :gelatin silver, black and white, matted ;36 x 28 cm (prints), 46 x 36 cm (mats); Extent: 1 text plate :printed, black ink on paper, matted ;36 x 28 cm (plate), 46 x 36 cm (mat)
Type of Resource: Still image
Identifiers: RLIN/OCLC: 1285296230; NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b22638149; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): b88cdc20-e426-013a-2533-0242ac110004

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