Freda Reiter – Dean Testifies at Trial of Dwight Chapin – Pastel Drawing

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John W. Dean III was a lead witness in several Watergate trials. As counsel to the President, Dean had been involved in the cover-up, before turning state witness. Dean’s youth and good looks made him an instant star of the Watergate coverage. Here, he testifies at the trial of Dwight Chapin, a deputy assistant to the President later convicted of lying to the grand jury.

Pastel drawing, 17″ x 14″

Watergate exhibition page

Freda L. Reiter

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Since cameras were banned from courtrooms, news outlets depended on professional sketch artists like Freda Reiter for visuals. When Reiter was assigned the Watergate burglary trial, in 1973, she had no idea that she would be spending the better part of two years in Washington.

Watergate Courtroom Sketches by Freda L. Reiter, 1973–75
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To provide sufficient visuals for the substantial airtime allotted to the story each night, Reiter made multiple sketches a day: close-up portraits, as well as wide-angle views of the courtroom incorporating as many as 28 figures.