Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting4 February 1979

Robert Templeton Finishing His Portrait of King

Robert Templeton (painting); Tim Templeton (photograph) · 4 February 1979

A 1979 photograph of artist Robert Templeton completing a painted portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.

This photograph shows a later portrait of King being created, part of his ongoing public memorialization.

Ask Martin Luther King Jr. about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
An older man with white hair and a beard, wearing a dark polo shirt and light trousers, stands on a stepladder painting with a brush and holds a palette. Beside him is a very large portrait of a man with short dark hair, looking directly at the viewer, rendered in brown tones. A table with brushes and supplies stands at the lower right.
Artist Robert Templeton finishing his portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., photographed by Tim Templeton, 1979.

About this source

What it is

This photograph, taken on February 4, 1979, by Tim Templeton, shows artist Robert Templeton standing on a stepladder while finishing a large portrait of Martin Luther King Jr., painted in brown tones.

Why it matters

This image documents the creation of a later portrait of King, made more than a decade after his death. It shows how artists worked to memorialize King's likeness for public memory, and offers a glimpse into the process behind a historical portrait rather than the finished artwork alone.

Look closer

  • What can you tell about the size and style of the portrait from the photograph?
  • Why might an artist choose to paint King years after his death rather than from life?
  • What does this photo of the artist at work add that the finished portrait alone would not show?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Martin Luther King Jr. on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Martin Luther King Jr. sources

Meet the AI Martin Luther King Jr. →
Black and white photo of a man in a dark suit speaking into a cluster of microphones at a lectern, with a person in a wide-brimmed hat in the foreground and a white columned background.Speech

Primary source

I Have a Dream

Martin Luther King Jr. · 28 August 1963

A recreated jail cell with pale green painted iron bars and a steel door with a round lock plate. Inside are a white-sheeted bunk bed, a wall-mounted sink, and a toilet on a concrete floor.Letter

Primary source

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr. · 16 April 1963

Bronze plaque on a stone wall above a hedge, reading that the edifice is the site of the last address of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and that from the pulpit of Mason Temple he delivered the speech containing the phrase 'I've been to the mountain top' on April 3, 1968.Speech

Primary source

I've Been to the Mountaintop

Martin Luther King Jr. · 3 April 1968

Speech

Primary source

Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence

Martin Luther King Jr. · 4 April 1967

Typed letter on aged paper addressed 'KING,' containing abusive accusations and a passage urging him to take his own life within 34 days. Several words are partly obscured by typewriter marks.Letter

Primary source

Mlk-uncovered-letter

FBI (presumably William C. Sullivan) · 1964

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Martin Luther King Jr. now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions