Court Scenes: The Court Art of Priscilla Coleman

Priscilla Coleman has been drawing court scenes for over 20 years. The pictures collected here mark many of the most important trials of that period. There is a widespread misunderstanding among those who see pictures on TV or in the newspapers that an artist can sketch as much as they like in court.

As lawyers know, far from taking a palate and easel into the public gallery, any attempt at photography, drawings or visual representations is strictly verboten. Artists have to memorise in court the colours, shades, clothing, facial mannerisms and physical idiocyncracies then go out and draw a likeness from memory … against the clock.