[Chalk Line]

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • [Chalk Line]
Date1950s
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 9 1/2 × 7 5/8 in. (24.2 × 19.4 cm)
Sheet: 9 1/2 × 7 5/8 in. (24.2 × 19.4 cm)
Mount: 14 × 10 15/16 in. (35.5 × 27.8 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Photography Subcommittee, 2023
Object number2024.1
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description


Though the chalk outline around a body has become a symbol of murder investigations, the outline itself was never particularly useful to investigators. These chalk outlines were created by police officers or crime scene investigators, just before the body was taken away, taking care not to touch the body and skipping such details as finger placement or draping clothing.  Because of their lack of detail, their usefulness was limited. In fact, they were mostly created for the benefit of crime scene photographers as the image of a chalk outline made for a striking front-page story.



Provenance[Winter Works on Paper, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 2024.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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