Back to DMH Home Email contact for Diana Mara Henry More About DMH
The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of America at Radcliffe College (now the Radcliffe Institute), under the direction of Patricia King, in 1976 began accessioning Diana Mara Henry's photographs of women in all walks of life. These were the first of their collections of the work of contemporary photographers. Several of their publications and exhibits feature the work. In 1998 the Library presented Diana Mara Henry's images of the First National Women's Conference in a solo exhibit displayed throughout the library. More than 500 of Diana Mara Henry's images now reside in their files, for study purposes and research.
 |
From A Sampling ot Innocent Documents, the article, "A Century of Women Photographers at the Schlesinger Library: 1889-1986," by Marie-Hélene Gold: "Diana Mara Henry is a passionate photographer of women..." ©1999 Radcliffe College |
 |
From "A Sampling of Innocent Documents" an appraisal of Diana Mara Henyr's photographs by Marie-Helene Gold, Curator of Photographs at the Schlesinger LIbrary, ©1999 Radcliffe Colleg:
"Diana Mara Henry is a passionate photographer of women - women or every age and disposition, women in action, working, marching, campaigning, but also living their lives: getting their hair cut, getting married, having fun. The little girl in her Sunday best playing badminton at a Brooklyn block party in the early 1970's (figure 22) is a perfect illustration of Henri Cartier-Bresson's definition of photography as "the recognition of a fact in a fraction of a second aand the rigorous arrangement of the forms which give to that fact expression and significance." In the contrast between this innocent girl having fun in her fluffy white dress and the grim concrete all around her, Henry saw children's innate and miraculous gift for play. This is the fact that she recognized and captured in a decisive fraction of a second. The NOW march taken by Henry in New York City in 1976 (figure 21) also has a definite intensity. The marchers are coming right at us and, for all their sunniness, mean business..." Ibid, pages 28 and 19]
Behind the Lens: Photographs by Women from the Collections of the Schlesinger LIbrary, September 14-October 27, 1989
Diana Mara Henry was always eager to refer researchers to the work of Bettye Lane. It is ironic that the only photograph the Schlesinger's curator still wanted of Diana Mara Henry's in 2012 was a photo of her and her camera,
and so Diana Mara Henry's entire remaining collection of 100,000 photographs, including this photograph of Betty Lane photographing Judy Chicago, is now its own Special Collection at the Du Bois Library, U Mass Amherst.
The Schlesinger Library newsletter ran a feature on The Photos of Diana Mara Henry, by Executive Director Marilyn Dunn, who has also been lobbying for the
stamp campaign to feature women leaders of the 1970's on a new series of US postage stamps.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Back to DMH Home More About DMH
The entire collection of Diana Mara Henry's 50,000 black and white negatives, 20,000 color slides and 10,000 color and balck and white prints, along with all the ephemera relating to the events and personalities photographed and documentation of her life story are housed at the Du Bois Library, U Mass Amherst.
http://www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/exhibits/henry/
Diana Mara Henry retains the copyright to all of her works wherever they are housed or displayed. Please email for use of any of the images or documents. Thank you. |