Mary Moorman

Mary Moorman was an American photographer who is best known for taking a series of Polaroid photographs of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Moorman's photographs, which were taken with her Polaroid Model 95A camera, provide a unique and important visual record of the event, and have been widely studied and analyzed by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents, and House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) investigators. Moorman's work has also been recognized by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Library of Congress, and her photographs are now part of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum collection. Moorman's photographs have been compared to those taken by other eyewitnesses, including Abraham Zapruder, Orville Nix, and Marie Muchmore, and have been used in various documentaries and films, including Oliver Stone's JFK.

● Early Life and Education

Mary Moorman was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in a family of modest means, with her parents, Jean Hill's friends, and other relatives, including her uncle, who worked at the Dallas Times Herald. Moorman attended Dallas Public Schools and later studied at El Centro College, where she developed an interest in photography and began taking classes with instructors from the Dallas Museum of Art and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Moorman's early photographic work was influenced by the styles of Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans, and she often experimented with different techniques and equipment, including her Polaroid Model 95A camera, which she used to take the famous photographs of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

● Career

Moorman's career as a photographer began in the early 1960s, when she started taking pictures of local events and landmarks in Dallas, including the Dallas Cowboys stadium, the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, and the Reunion Tower. Moorman's work was published in various local newspapers and magazines, including the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Times Herald, and Texas Monthly, and she became known for her unique and insightful photographs of everyday life in Dallas. Moorman's photographs have been exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and have been recognized by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA).

● Assassination of John F. Kennedy

On November 22, 1963, Moorman was standing on the grassy knoll in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and she took a series of Polaroid photographs of the event, including the famous " Badge Man" photograph, which appears to show a figure on the grassy knoll wearing a Dallas Police Department badge. Moorman's photographs were taken with her Polaroid Model 95A camera, and provide a unique and important visual record of the event, which has been widely studied and analyzed by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents, and House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) investigators. Moorman's photographs have been compared to those taken by other eyewitnesses, including Abraham Zapruder, Orville Nix, and Marie Muchmore, and have been used in various documentaries and films, including Oliver Stone's JFK and Nigel Turner's The Men Who Killed Kennedy.

● Photography and Legacy

Moorman's photographs of the assassination of John F. Kennedy are considered some of the most important and influential images of the 20th century, and have been recognized by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Library of Congress. Moorman's work has also been exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and has been recognized by the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA). Moorman's photographs have been used in various documentaries and films, including Oliver Stone's JFK and Nigel Turner's The Men Who Killed Kennedy, and have been published in various books and articles, including Gerald Posner's Case Closed and Vincent Bugliosi's Reclaiming History.

● Personal Life

Moorman was married to Charles Moorman, a Dallas businessman, and had two children, Jean Hill's godchildren, and lived in Dallas, Texas, until her death in 2005. Moorman's personal life was marked by her interest in photography and her love of Dallas, and she was known for her kindness and generosity to her friends and family, including Abraham Zapruder's family and Orville Nix's family. Moorman's legacy continues to be celebrated by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, and the Dallas Museum of Art, and her photographs remain an important part of the historical record of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Moorman's work has also been recognized by the International Center of Photography (ICP) and the George Eastman Museum, and her photographs are now part of the Library of Congress collection, along with those of other famous photographers, including Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, and Walker Evans. Category:American photographers