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Photojournalism: George Tames

George Tames, Mamie Eisenhower and Richard Nixon photo by White House photographer George Tames, Mamie Eisenhower and Richard Nixon photo by White House photographer

Over a forty-year period, George Tames photographed ten presidents (from Franklin D. Roosevelt to George H. W. Bush), many members of Congress, and statesmen from Churchill to Khrushchev. His career in news photography began in Washington, D.C., accompanying Capitol Hill photographers on assignments. From 1939 to 1945, he worked for Time magazine and then joined the New York Times, becoming chief photographer for its Washington Bureau, a position he held until 1985. Before the end of World War II, he was among a small number of photographers taking pictures of President Roosevelt. President Truman was his favorite subject. His book, Eye on Washington: Presidents Who’ve Known Me was published in 1990.

The Briscoe Center acquired Tames’ personal photograph collection in 2011.

Photojournalism (Collection Strength)
News Media History (Collection Strength)