The Electrocution of Ruth Snyder
Artist
Tom Howard
(American)
Date1928
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 4 9/16 × 3 15/16 inches (11.59 × 10 cm)
Mount: 5 3/4 × 5 1/16 inches (14.61 × 12.86 cm)
Mount: 5 3/4 × 5 1/16 inches (14.61 × 12.86 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.4030
Signednone
Inscribednone
MarkingsOn sheet verso, bottom, in pencil: "379-1-94"
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionVintage gelatin silver print of a woman being executed in the electric chair. This image was taken on January 12, 1928 and reproduced on the front page of the "NY Daily News" on the morning of Feb. 13, 1928.Gallery LabelThis gritty image depicts convicted murderer Ruth Snyder at the moment of her death by electrocution. Tom Howard, a Chicago Tribune reporter hired by the New York Daily News, made the photograph secretly, with a small camera strapped to his ankle. Using a hidden cable release, Howard exposed this plate for about five seconds as Snyder’s body jolted from the current. The next morning, an enlarged and retouched version of this photograph filled the front page of the New York Daily News. The image shocked the public and became an iconic image for opponents of the death penalty.
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