Kennedy Caisson

Marshall B. Fleming, Kennedy Caisson, ca. 1964-1990, carved and painted wood, leather, wire, metal, printed paper, paperboard, cloth, pen, and pencil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and Marshall B. Fleming and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.305A-D
Copied Marshall B. Fleming, Kennedy Caisson, ca. 1964-1990, carved and painted wood, leather, wire, metal, printed paper, paperboard, cloth, pen, and pencil, overall: 20 1854 1215 in. (51.2138.438.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and Marshall B. Fleming and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.305A-D

Artwork Details

Title
Kennedy Caisson
Date
ca. 1964-1990
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
overall: 20 1854 1215 in. (51.2138.438.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and Marshall B. Fleming and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums Description
carved and painted wood, leather, wire, metal, printed paper, paperboard, cloth, pen, and pencil
Classifications
Keywords
  • Ceremony — procession
  • History — United States
  • Ceremony — funeral
  • Homage — Kennedy, John F.
  • Equestrian
Object Number
1986.65.305A-D

Artwork Description

Marshall B. Fleming saw John F. Kennedy’s funeral on television  and wanted to commemorate the event. He also wanted to make a tribute to the other presidents who were assassinated---Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley. He based his design on a postcard of the funeral cortege and created the procession from painted wood, fabric, leather, and thread. Although the piece has somber associations, it was meant to celebrate Kennedy’s life and the lives of those who had died in office before him.