The Briscoe Center continues to ramp up its digital presence, creating new programming, exhibit, and research opportunities that can be experienced online. The latest example is our new podcast, American Rhapsody, in which we interview those who witnessed history firsthand and created archives in the process. We also talk to historians,… read more 

A very different type of Fall semester has begun at The University of Texas at Austin and the Briscoe Center has adjusted accordingly.  Although the university is holding some classes on campus, many classes and other operations are being conducted remotely, including the majority of public services provided by the… read more 

For a period of time in the late 1980s (when the Barker Texas History Center had not yet been merged into what is now the Briscoe Center) renowned historian John Hope Franklin was a frequent visitor to the reading room as he researched his book, Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantation.… read more 

Today is the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth, a national commemoration of the end of slavery. This celebration, which is a landmark event in the history of human rights, has Texas origins. When Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, he issued General Order Number 3, which… read more 

It’s hard to believe that nearly two months have passed since the university began its temporary closure of campus in response to Covid-19. As has often happened in history, American life appears to have crossed a sort of tipping point. Our life and work have been upended, just as it… read more 

I’m pleased to announce that the Briscoe Center is accepting applications for the 2020 Smith Travel Awards through April 3. Five awards are given each year to assist masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral students with travel costs to UT Austin. Each award enables a non-UT student from outside the Austin area… read more 

This edition of the e-news announces the arrival of the Andy “Bubble Gum King” Paris Collection and an important addition to the William Chapman Papers. There is a curious connection between the two. In 1847, Chapman fought at the Battle of Buena Vista, where American forces, led by future president Zachary Taylor and… read more 

With the gift of the archives of the distinguished documentary photographers Fred Baldwin and Wendy Watriss, the Briscoe Center continues to build its reputation as one of the nation’s leading research institutions for documentary photography. The center has for some time now been renowned for its news photography and news media… read more 

Thirty years ago, Communist regimes collapsed across Central and Eastern Europe. This process came to a crescendo in early November with the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was not simply a historically important event, but also an iconic cultural moment. It captured the imagination of millions of people around… read more 

Earlier this month, the Briscoe Center announced the recipient of the first Morley Safer Award for Outstanding Reporting. Created in partnership with the family of the late CBS News correspondent Morley Safer, the award recognizes reporting that changes how we understand the world. The 2019 Safer Award recipient is Hannah Dreier for… read more