Through Her Lens: The Photojournalism of Diana Walker

September 27, 2023 – August 2, 2024
Briscoe Center for American History, Austin, Texas
Main Exhibition Gallery, Sid Richardson Hall Unit 2

Through Her Lens: The Photojournalism of Diana Walker showcases iconic photos from Walker’s archive and opens the door to unscripted events and private moments in recent American political and cultural life.

Walker’s photography allows us to see through her lens and step behind the scenes with politicians, artists, celebrities, and business leaders. Her extensive coverage of political campaigns sits alongside the public and private events of multiple presidential administrations. During Walker’s years in the White House press pool, she achieved extraordinary access and exclusives, and was often the only photographer in the room. With selections from the 1970s to the present, the exhibit includes photographs of her peers in journalism, prominent figures in the arts, and business leaders. It also showcases Walker’s technical ability and social acumen in a career spent capturing some of the most notable faces in the news.

“Diana Walker is one of the preeminent photojournalists of her generation, and we are delighted to present this important exhibit of her work,” said Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center. “She has visually documented the news—and the individuals who made that news—with talent, imagination, diligence, and grace. As seen in this exhibit, her body of work provides us with a deeper understanding of the past events and notable people that she has skillfully photographed. We are grateful that Diana has supported the cause of history by placing her archive at the center.”  

The Briscoe Center is grateful to Diana Walker, who generously donated her archive for teaching and research. The Diana Walker Photographic Archive contains over 200,000 images in various formats.

President Ronald Reagan, CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, White House Press Secretary James Brady (partly obscured), White House Staff Secretary David Gergen, Counselor to the President Ed Meese, Vice President George H. W. Bush, White House Chief of Staff James Baker, and, in the foreground, CBS vice president Bud Benjamin, sharing a joke at the White House, March 3, 1981.

President Ronald Reagan laughs at a joke told by Queen Elizabeth II at a state dinner. San Francisco, California, March 3, 1983.

President George H. W. Bush tosses key chains, tie clips, and other souvenirs to the American troops of Operation Desert Shield, specifically the First Marine Division Desert Command Post Marines, at an encampment outside of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 1990.

Accompanied by President Nelson Mandela of South Africa and his companion and future wife Graca Machel, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton visit the jail cell where Mandela was held as a political prisoner, Robben Island, Cape Town, South Africa, March 27, 1998

Through Her Lens: The Photojournalism of Diana Walker was designed by McKinney York Architects. Admission is free. For details on visitor information, please go to https://briscoecenter.org/visit/.