Found Images: JFK Funeral Photos

So the other day, when Exit133 was down for the count, I sat down for a few moments to look through a box of negatives from my grandfather’s house.  I picked up a small cardboard tube and pulled out a long roll of Kodak Safety negatives wrapped in tissue paper.  I held it up to the light and could make out fuzzy photos with some serious vignetting on the edges.  I could see what appeared to be a parade.  I could see a flagged draped coffin.  Some of the photos appeared to be of the inside of a church.

I powered up my scanner and chose a snapshot from the middle of the roll.  The first thing I found: television knobs.  Huh.  The photographer, my grandpa, had used his camera to capture what appears to be the funeral of JFK as it appeared on television from the comfort of his living room. 

To me, this is a particularly poignant way to see an event.  What we see played out on television, in magazines, or on the front page of a newspaper is a perspective that few of us could ever experience first-hand.  How often can we be a witness to history?  On a daily basis, we view world events via our computers and television.  These photos take a step back and show me what so much of America saw in 1963 as it mourned. 

Note about the film:  The images were taken using a camera that takes half-frame photos.  There were more than fifty images on the roll.  The downside is that the general quality when scanned and blown up isn’t great.  The photos seem best in their thumbnail view.  Just my opinion.

Link to the Exit133 JFK Funeral Gallery