As we mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, I believe it is important to remember King not merely as a dreamer but as a doer. In his thirteen years of public life as an advocate for civil rights, economic opportunity, and world peace, King motivated others not only by communicating his vision for a brighter future but by acting boldly to challenge injustice. Despite enormous odds and the ever-present risk of failure, King led by example, exhibiting courage and character as he maintained his steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance and direct action. Anyone can dream of a better and more just world. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to making that dream a reality.
—Ann M. Shumard, Senior Curator of Photographs
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
June 28, 2013
through June 1, 2014
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Martin Luther King Jr. with Coretta Scott King and their daughter Yolanda on the steps of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Dan Weiner (1919–1959)
Gelatin silver print, 1956
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Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy ride the first integrated bus in Montgomery, Alabama
Ernest Withers (1922–2007)
Gelatin silver print, 1956 (printed later)
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Time magazine portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.
Boris Chaliapin (1904–1979)
Watercolor and pencil on board, 1957, after photograph by Walter Bennett
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Martin Luther King Jr. shortly after his release from Reidsville Penitentiary, Georgia
Jack Lewis Hiller (born 1930)
Gelatin silver print, 1960
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Martin Luther King Jr.
Yousuf Karsh (1908–2002)
Gelatin silver print, 1962
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Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Bob Adelman (born 1930)
Gelatin silver print, 1963
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Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh and Martin Luther King Jr.
Unidentified photographer
Digital inkjet print, 1964 (printed 2007)
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March against the Vietnam War, New York City
Benedict J. Fernandez (born 1936)
Gelatin silver print, 1967 (printed 1989)
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