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The Timeless Craft of the Courtroom Sketch Artist
In courtrooms where cameras are banned, these artists provide a curious public a glimpse behind closed doors. Here’s how they do it.
Courtroom sketch artists serve as quiet chroniclers of history, recording the tension, drama and emotion of trials where cameras are not allowed.
One such artist, William J. Hennessy Jr., who died on Dec. 9 at 67, documented the impeachment trials of Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald J. Trump, as well as numerous court cases, creating some 10,000 sketches in colored pencil, pastel, charcoal and watercolor for newspapers, magazines and TV.
He did it under intense deadline pressure, patiently observing the proceedings until he witnessed a telling moment — an arm raised in defiance, perhaps, or the hint of a smirk — and then captured it in bold strokes within minutes. His work gave a curious public a view behind the walls of justice.
Courtroom sketching is a time-honored craft — a practice that may be older than the American legal system itself. Some of the earliest known courtroom sketches in the United States reportedly date to the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts in the 1600s, according to the Library of Congress.
The advent of photography in the 19th century reduced the need for courtroom artists for a while. But as the presence of cameras in the courtroom increased, lawyers and judges began to complain that they were intrusive and disruptive.
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