In the Room Where it Happened: A Survey of Presidential Photographers

Description

This catalog was printed in conjunction with the exhibition In the Room Where it Happened: A Survey of Presidential Photographers, on display in the Main Gallery from January 12 – March 30, 2024 featuring the work of Joyce Boghosian, Shealah Craighead, Eric Draper, Michael Evans, Sharon Farmer, David Hume Kennerly, Bob McNeely, Yoichi Okamoto, Adam Schultz, Pete Souza, and David Valdez.

In the Room Where it Happened provides a comprehensive and insightful look into the recent history of both the U.S. presidency and the responsibilities of photographing it. Drawing from national archives, presidential libraries, and the artists themselves, this exhibition unveils a nuanced perspective into the personal and public lives of the country’s leaders.

With over 150 photographs spanning decades of our government’s big and small moments—as seen through the lenses of this unique group of photographers—the exhibition is delighting audiences young and old, giving them the opportunity to walk through history and see a vision of democracy not seen in recent years.

Exhibition Statement

Our understanding of the U.S. presidency is largely shaped by images. Photographs of political campaigns, international engagements, historic legislation, and national tragedy, accompany more intimate family scenes and humanizing portraits, each contributing to the global perception of the American presidency for generations to come.

Presidential photography highlights the complex nature of creativity, documentation and portraiture. Each photographers’ perspective and stories provide context for framing important moments, giving viewers a deeper understanding of the challenges and rewards of documenting the presidency, offering a comprehensive and insightful visual narrative of the U.S. presidency through the lens of these dedicated and talented photographers.

About the Artists

What began as a three-month internship at the White House Photo Office in 1988 was the start of a career spanning six U.S. presidents. Joyce Naltchayan Boghosian was mentored in her earlier years by her late father, renowned Washington Post photographer for 35 years, Harry Naltchayan. She began working as a photographer at local community newspapers. During the last three months of President Ronald Reagan’s administration, she interned at the White House Photography Office. In 1989, under the direction of President George H. W. Bush’s personal photographer David Valdez, she was hired as a photo assistant for the full term of the administration. In 1994, she joined Agence France-Presse International Wire Service (AFP) as a staff photojournalist at the Washington, DC bureau, mostly assigned to the White House Press Corps covering President Bill Clinton.

For Shealah Craighead, taking a picture isn’t a point and click “moment.”  It’s elbowing into North Korea to photograph a history-making handshake, diving into the gridiron to capture the game-winning catch, or observing from the background to catch the subtle smiles and sighs that convey the greatest emotions. With over two decades of experience, Craighead has built a career on turning moments in time, into tangible memories through the art of observation and photography.

Eric Draper served as President George W Bush!s chief White House photographer for the entire eight years of his presidency. Draper was named Special Assistant to the President, and is the first White House photographer to be named a commissioned officer to a U.S. president. Also during his tenure, Draper directed the photographic and archival conversion of the White House Photo Office from film to digital and took nearly 1 million photos documenting the presidency. Prior to joining the White House, Draper was West Regional Enterprise Photographer for the Associated Press. In eight years with the AP, Draper covered an array of domestic and international news and sports. Draper has also worked as a staff photographer for The Seattle Times, the Pasadena Star-News and the Albuquerque Tribune. He won the Associated Press Managing Editors’ Award for three consecutive years, the 1999 National Headliner Award and was named 1992 Photographer of the Year by Scripps Howard Newspapers. Draper is currently a freelance corporate, and editorial photographer based in Rio Rancho, New Mexico where he lives with his wife and three dogs. He is an obsessive LA Laker fan.

Michael Evans (June 21, 1944 – December 1, 2005) was an American newspaper, magazine, and presidential photographer. He was Ronald Reagan’s personal photographer during his first term as president from 1981 through 1985. Evans is best remembered for his 1976 iconic photo of Ronald Reagan wearing a cowboy hat taken while Evans was working for Equus Magazine, that made the covers of many magazines in the week after Reagan’s death in 2004. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize while shooting for The New York Times.

Sharon Camille Farmer (b. 1951) was the first African American woman to be hired as a White House photographer and first female to be director of the White House Photography Office. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Farmer attended Ohio State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in photography. After graduating, Farmer began a career as a freelance photographer. She worked for the Smithsonian Institution, The Washington Post, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She documented news stories, political campaigns, cultural events, conferences, and portraits. Farmer also lectures extensively on photography and served on the faculty at American University, Mount Vernon College, and Indiana University.

David Kennerly has been a photographer on the front lines of history for more than fifty years.  At 25 he was one of the youngest winners of the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism. Kennerly’s 1972 award for Feature Photography included images of the Vietnam and Cambodia wars, refugees escaping from East Pakistan into India, and the Ali v. Frazier “Fight of the Century” World Heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Garden.  Two years later Kennerly was appointed President Gerald R. Ford’s Personal White House photographer.

Bob McNeely was drafted into the Army in November 1967 when he was 21, and served in combat in the Vietnam War. Following McGovern’s defeat to Richard Nixon in the 1972 presidential election, McNeely pursued his career in photojournalism, with a further high point coming in 1973, as his photographs of the Nixon impeachment case were published in Time. He was then appointed official campaign photographer for vice presidential nominee Walter Mondale, and after Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as President, McNeely kept his position as Mondale’s official photographer. In 1980, when Carter and Mondale lost the election to Reagan and Bush, McNeely stepped away from the world of politics and went into the private sector as a photographer, working freelance for magazines such as Time and Newsweek.

Yoichi Robert Okamoto 岡本 陽 (July 5, 1915 – April 24, 1985) was the first official U.S. presidential photographer, serving Lyndon B. Johnson. Born in Yonkers, New York, in 1915, Okamoto’s career spanned from documenting nightclubs in his college days to capturing pivotal moments of the Johnson presidency. He was also a trailblazer in photojournalism, particularly for his unprecedented access to the president and his administration, which allowed him to capture candid and intimate moments.

Adam Schultz is an American photographer who served as the chief official White House photographer for the presidency of Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025. Schultz worked for the Clinton Foundation in New York City from 2007 until 2013. He served as a photographer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. He then joined Biden’s team in April 2019, after the former vice president began running for the Democratic nomination, serving as the lead photographer for Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.

Pete Souza is a renowned American photojournalist, best known for his work as the Chief Official White House Photographer for Presidents Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. He is also a best-selling author, speaker, and Professor Emeritus of Visual Communication at Ohio University. Souza’s photography career spans decades and includes work for newspapers, magazines, and as a freelancer, with a particular focus on documenting presidential history.

After graduating from high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, David Valdez enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he was trained as a photographer. He served with the 836th Combat Support Group for four years, and then earned a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland at College Park. While he was a student there, Valdez was employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a photographer. He left the federal government to become chief photographer for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In 1983, he became personal photographer to then-Vice President George Bush. In 1988, President Bush appointed Valdez Director of the White House Photo Office. During this administration, he traveled to 75 countries and all 50 states with the President.