Currently at the Memorial & Museum
Preserving History...
Courtroom Artists: Eyes of the Media
December 27, 2010
The Memorial Archives is the repository of artifacts and documentary materials related to the April 19th bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and its aftermath. One of the Memorial’s important documentary collections, which records the federal trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, is the courtroom drawings of Oklahoma artist Pat Lopez.
It is through the eyes of network courtroom artists that the public is witness to these historic trials and hearings. The artist’s job is to capture telling moments, such as when people show emotion, or when witnesses recount a critical detail or reenact an event. This image depicts Oklahoma Highway Patrolman Charlie Hanger’s testimony in federal court about his arrest of Timothy McVeigh.
A courtroom artist for 27 years, Lopez continues to draw for NBC, ABC, CNN and CBS. Each image is a part of the story for about 8-13 seconds. “I try to pack as much as I can into every drawing, showing great detail,” Lopez said. “That is the only way people at home can get a glimpse of these high profile cases.”
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