Christine Blasey Ford prepares for a break at a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
Erin Schaff for The New York Times/Pool/Reuters

Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh's Testimony in Pictures

By Andrew Katz and Ryan Teague Beckwith

For days, the only photo that most Americans had seen of Christine Blasey Ford was a casual snapshot, showing her in sunglasses and apparently on vacation. But when she appeared to testify on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27, the cameras were waiting.

It was the kind of day that breaks up the often monotonous life of Hill photographers. The familiar hallways and hearing rooms, the backdrop to countless daily pictures, were imbued with a special resonance by the day’s historic proceedings.

At Ford’s request, the hearing was held in a smaller than average room, giving it more of an intimate feel than the previous hearings featuring Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

But the seriousness of her allegations — that a teenaged Kavanaugh held her down on a bed, put his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams and attempted to remove her clothes — changed the atmosphere in the room regardless. Kavanaugh denies Ford’s allegation.

Kavanaugh faces other accusations, which he also denies: Fellow Yale graduate Deborah Ramirez alleges that he exposed himself to her at a party in college, while Julie Swetnick says he was present at a party where she was gang raped. But neither was called to testify Thursday, nor were any other witnesses. The Kavanaugh-Ford hearings would feature just Kavanaugh and Ford, testifying separately.

Here, in reverse-chronological order, is a look at some of the most telling photographs from Thursday’s hearing.

Brett Kavanaugh and his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, leave after he finished testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
Brett Kavanaugh and his wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, leave after he finished testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Sept. 27. (Melina Mara—Pool/Reuters)
Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Sept. 27.
Melina Mara—Pool/Reuters
Brett Kavanaugh is seated while testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27. (Jim Bourg—Reuters)
Brett Kavanaugh is seated while testifying before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27.
Jim Bourg—Reuters
Sen. Lindsey Graham becomes angry during the questioning of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27. (Gabriella Demczuk—The New York Times/Pool/Reuters)
Sen. Lindsey Graham becomes angry during the questioning of Judge Brett Kavanaugh in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
Gabriella Demczuk—The New York Times/Pool/Reuters
Ashley Estes Kavanaugh at her husband Brett Kavanaugh's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Sept. 27. (Melina Mara—Pool/Getty Images)
Ashley Estes Kavanaugh at her husband Brett Kavanaugh's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Sept. 27.
Melina Mara—Pool/Getty Images
Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) listen during testimony on Sept. 27. (Erin Schaff—The New York Times/Pool/Getty Images)
Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) listen during testimony on Sept. 27.
Erin Schaff—The New York Times/Pool/Getty Images
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, chairman, is seen as the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing for Christine Blasey Ford on Sept. 27. (Gabriella Demczuk—The New York Times/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, chairman, is seen as the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing for Christine Blasey Ford on Sept. 27.
Gabriella Demczuk—The New York Times/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Brett Kavanaugh testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Sept. 27. (Jim Bourg—Reuters)
Brett Kavanaugh testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Sept. 27.
Jim Bourg—Reuters
Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27. (Jim Bourg—Reuters)
Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
Jim Bourg—Reuters
Sen. Lindsey Graham takes his seat on Sept. 27. (Gabriella Demczuk—The New York Times/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
Sen. Lindsey Graham takes his seat on Sept. 27.
Gabriella Demczuk—The New York Times/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Journalists work in the hallway of the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 27. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
Journalists work in the hallway of the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 27.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks with reporters after the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks with reporters after the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
Members of the public watch the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford In a hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 27. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
Members of the public watch the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford In a hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 27.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., cries as Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27. (Andrew Harnik—Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., cries as Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
Andrew Harnik—Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Rachel Mitchell, counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, questions Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as Senators listen during the hearing on Sept. 27. From left, Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah., and John Cornyn, R-Texas. (Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/Pool)
Rachel Mitchell, counsel for Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, questions Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as Senators listen during the hearing on Sept. 27. From left, Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.
Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/Pool
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., listen as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testifies on Sept. 27. (Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/Pool)
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., listen as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testifies on Sept. 27.
Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/Pool
A sign reading 'Believe Women' sits in the window of an office in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27. (Drew Angerer—Getty Images)
A sign reading 'Believe Women' sits in the window of an office in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27.
Drew Angerer—Getty Images
Protestors sit in Senator Chuck Grassley's office on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27. (Chet Strange—AFP/Getty Images)
Protestors sit in Senator Chuck Grassley's office on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27.
Chet Strange—AFP/Getty Images
Christine Blasey Ford is sworn in before testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 27. (Win McNamee—Getty Images)
Christine Blasey Ford is sworn in before testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 27.
Win McNamee—Getty Images
Protesters walk through the hallway of the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 27. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
Protesters walk through the hallway of the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 27.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
Police gathered to oversee protesters on the ground floor of the Hart Senate Office Building, which is near where the hearing will take place. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
Police gathered to oversee protesters on the ground floor of the Hart Senate Office Building, which is near where the hearing will take place.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
Women lift their hands in protest of the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on the day of Christine Blasey Ford's hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on Sept. 27. (Calla Kessler—The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Women lift their hands in protest of the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on the day of Christine Blasey Ford's hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington on Sept. 27.
Calla Kessler—The Washington Post/Getty Images
Demonstrators rally in support of the Senate confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27. (Alex Edelman—picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
Demonstrators rally in support of the Senate confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill on Sept. 27.
Alex Edelman—picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford prepares to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27. (Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/Pool)
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford prepares to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.
Tom Williams—CQ Roll Call/Pool
A view inside the room where Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a sexual assault in the early 1980s, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 27, 2018. (David Butow—Redux for TIME)
A view inside the room where Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a sexual assault in the early 1980s, will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 27, 2018.
David Butow—Redux for TIME
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