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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

In their own words

We let the portraits of these remarkable Australians speak for themselves. Be intrigued and inspired by two-minute personal stories told by the subjects and the artists, and download the audio-guide for iOS and android for a mobile experience.

229 results

A. D. Colquhoun

Recorded 1965

Adelaide Perry

Recorded 1965

Akira Isogawa

Recorded 2015

Alan Marshall

Recorded 1964

Albert Tucker

Recorded 1961

Alison Rehfisch

Recorded 1965

Anna Josepha King

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Anna Meares

Recorded 2018

Anne Boyd

Recorded 1969

Annette Kellerman

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Arnold Shore

Recorded 1962

Arthur Boyd

Recorded 1965

Arthur Calwell part one

Recorded 1967

Arthur Calwell part two

Recorded 1967

Arthur Phillip Esq., Captain General and Commander in Chief in & over the territory of New South Wales

Arthur Phillip

Voiced by Christopher Baldock

Barbara Blackman

Recorded 1974

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

Barry Humphries

Recorded 1981

Barry Jones

Recorded 2022

Bernard Smith

Recorded 1975

Betty Burstall

Recorded 1973

Betty Churcher

Recorded 2014

Bill Henson

Recorded 2021

Brett Whiteley

Recorded 1970

Brian Dunlop

Recorded 1976

Brian Schmidt

Recorded 2017

Brook Andrew

Recorded 2011

Cadel Evans

Recorded 2016

Carla Zampatti

Recorded 2019

Caroline Chisholm

Voiced by Karen Vickery

Charles Blackman

Recorded 1965

Charles Mackerras

Recorded 1971

Chris Wallace-Crabbe

Recorded 1969

Christina Stead

Recorded 1969

Christos Tsiolkas

Recorded 2017

Clifton Pugh

Recorded 1965

Colleen McCullough

Recorded 1977

Daniel Solander

Voiced by Joel Horwood

David Aspden

Recorded 1970

David Jones

Voiced by Christopher Baldock

David Malouf

Recorded 2016

David McAllister

Recorded 2017

David Moore part one

Recorded 1973

David Moore part two

Recorded 1973

David Williamson

Recorded 1976

Deborah Vernon Hackett

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Desiderius Orban

Recorded 1962

Don Burrows part one

Recorded 1974

Don Burrows part three

Recorded 1974

Don Burrows part two

Recorded 1974

Douglas Mawson

Voiced by Christopher Baldock

Edmund Barton

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, River Kwai, Thailand

Edward 'Weary' Dunlop

Recorded 1983

Eleanor Dark

Recorded 1960 or 1961

Ellie Cole

Recorded 2021

The painter transmogrified and Mrs Smith

Eric Smith

Recorded 1962

Eric Thake

Recorded 1961

Ernest Buckmaster

Recorded 1965

Essie Coffey (Bush Queen) and Orlando Gemes

Essie Coffey

Recorded 13 March 1980

Ethel Marian (Maie) Casey

Recorded 1967

Frances Alda

Recorded 1937

Frances Samuel

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Frank Hinder

Recorded 1963

Gaby Kennard

Recorded 2021

Garry Shead

Recorded 1970

George Bell

Recorded 1965

George Duncan

Recorded 1965

George Finey

Recorded 1967

George Johnston

Recorded 1964

George Selth Coppin

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

Gill Hicks

Recorded 2021

Glenn Murcutt

Recorded 2017

Gordon Andrews

Recorded 1974

Grace Cossington Smith

Recorded 1965

Graeme Clark

Recorded 2017

Hans Heysen

Recorded 1960

Harry Messel

Recorded 1972

Harry Seidler part one

Recorded 1972

Harry Seidler part two

Recorded 1972

Heath Bergersen

Recorded 2022

Helen Edwards

Recorded 2013

Helen Garner

Recorded 1982

Henry Baynton Somer ‘Jo’ Gullett

Recorded 1990

Henry Kendall

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

Henry Lawson

Voiced by Joel Horwood

Henry Parkes

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

Practising the Minuet (Miss Hilda Spong)

Hilda Spong

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Howard Florey

Recorded 1967

Hugh Ramsay

Voiced by James Thomasson

Ian Fairweather

Recorded 1963

Inge King

Recorded 1965

Jack Charles

Recorded 2022

Jack Lang

Recorded 1967

Jackie French

Recorded 2022

Jacqueline Mitelman

Recorded 2017

James Cook

Voiced by Joel Horwood

James Gleeson

Recorded 1962

Janet Dawson

Recorded 1965

Jean Appleton

Recorded 1962

Jean Bellette

Recorded 1976

Jean Isherwood

Recorded 1972

Jessica Mauboy

Recorded 2018

Jessie Street

Recorded 1967

Jimmy and Jane Barnes

Recorded 2022

John Bell

Recorded 1973

John Bell

Recorded 1962

John Brack

Recorded 1962

John Coburn

Recorded 1962

John Dowie part one

Recorded 1960

John Dowie part two

Recorded 1960

John Olsen

Recorded 1962

John Perceval

Recorded 1961

John Tsiavis

Recorded 2018

Jon Molvig

Recorded 1962

Joseph Banks

Voiced by James Thomasson

Joshua Smith

Recorded 1965

Judy Cassab

Recorded 1962

Justin O'Brien

Recorded 1962

Kate Grenville

Recorded 2014

Kath Walker part one

Recorded 1976

Kath Walker part two

Recorded 1976

Katharine Brisbane

Recorded 1974

Kenneth Binns

Recorded 1967

Kenneth Rowell

Recorded 1973

Kym Bonython

Recorded 1962

Lady Ellen Stirling

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Lady Jane Franklin

Voiced by Karen Vickery

Larry Sitsky

Recorded 1967

Lindy Morrison

Recorded 2021

Lisa McCune

Recorded 2022

Lloyd Rees

Recorded 1961 or 1962

Lola Montez

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Louis Kahan

Recorded 1965

Lowitja O’Donoghue

Recorded 2015

Ludwig Leichhardt

Voiced by Joel Horwood

Lyndon Dadswell, with his sculpture 'Native'

Lyndon Dadswell

Recorded 1960

Manning Clark

Recorded 1967

Marcia Langton

Recorded 2011

Marea Gazzard

Recorded 1972

Margaret Olley

Recorded 1963

Margel Hinder

Recorded 1963

Madame Sibly, Phrenologist and Mesmerist

Marie Sibly

Voiced by Anais Maro

Mark Oliphant

Recorded 1967

Slow Motion @ 300kms per hour Mark 'Sparky'™ Webber, Formula 1 Driver

Mark Webber

Recorded 2017

Martin Sharp part one

Recorded 1970

Martin Sharp part two

Recorded 1970

Mary Gilmore

Recorded 1957

Mary Windeyer

Voiced by Karen Vickery

Matthew Flinders

Voiced by James Thomasson

Max Dupain part one

Recorded 1975

Max Dupain part two

Recorded 1975

Mervyn Horton

Recorded 1972

Michael Leunig

Recorded 2017

Michael Shannon

Recorded 1965

Michelle Simmons

Recorded 2018

Miriam Hyde

Recorded 1975

Mirka Mora

Recorded 1965

Nancy Bird Walton part one

Recorded 1977

Nancy Bird Walton part two

Recorded 1977

Nancy Borlase

Recorded 1962

Napier Waller

Recorded 1965

Narelle Autio

Recorded 2018

Ned Kelly

Voiced by James Thomasson

Nellie Melba

Voiced by Natasha Vickery

Neville Gruzman

Recorded 1974

Nikki Toole

Recorded 2017

Ningali Lawford-Wolf

Recorded 1996

Noel Counihan

Recorded 1961

Nora Heysen

Recorded 1965

Norman Lindsay

Recorded 1965

Professor Penny Sackett, astronomer and physicist

Penny Sackett

Recorded 2014

Percy Spender

Recorded 1968

Peter Porter

Recorded 1970

Peter Russell-Clarke

Recorded 2022

Peter Sculthorpe

Recorded 1967

Polly Borland on Germaine Greer

Recorded 2017

Polly Borland on Michael Hutchence

Recorded 2017

Polly Borland on Queen Elizabeth II

Recorded 2017

Quentin Bryce

Recorded 2017

Ray Crooke

Recorded 1963

Reg Grundy

Recorded 1978

Reinis Zusters

Recorded 1965

Richard Larter

Recorded 1965

Robert Adamson

Recorded 1975

Robert Drewe

Recorded 1977

Robert Fielding

Recorded 2022

Robert Helpmann

Recorded 1964

Robert Klippel

Recorded 1965

Robert O’Hara Burke

Voiced by Christopher Baldock

Robin Boyd

Recorded 1962

Roderick Shaw

Recorded 1965

Roland Wakelin

Recorded 1961 or 1962

Roma Mitchell

Recorded 1978

Rose Scott

Voiced by Karen Vickery

Rosemary Dobson

Recorded 1959

Rosie Batty

Recorded 2017

Russell Drysdale

Recorded 1960

Shirley Hazzard part one

Recorded 1976

Shirley Hazzard part two

Recorded 1976

Sidney Kidman

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

Sidney Nolan

Recorded 1962

Stan de Teliga

Recorded 1965

Stephen Murray-Smith

Recorded 1961

Tan Le

Recorded 2018

The Seekers

Recorded 2013

Thea Astley

Recorded 1964

Thea Proctor

Recorded 1961

Thomas Keneally part one

Recorded 1967

Thomas Keneally part two

Recorded 1967

Thomas Wentworth Wills

Voiced by Patrick Galen-Mules

Thomas Woolner

Voiced by Joel Horwood

Tim Burstall

Recorded 1973

Tim Flannery

Recorded 2016

Tom Bass

Recorded 1965

Vaike Liibus

Recorded 1965

Victor Trumper

Voiced by Christopher Baldock

Vincent Fantauzzo on Hugh Jackman

Recorded 2021

Will Ashton

Recorded 1960

William Barak at work on the drawing ‘Ceremony’ at Coranderrk

William Barak

Voiced by Wurundjeri Elder Colin Hunter Jr

William Birdwood

Recorded 1937

William Bligh

Voiced by Joel Horwood

William Boissevain

Recorded 1965

William Dargie

Recorded 1960

William Dobell part one

Recorded 1961

Sketch for Prime Minister Robert Menzies

William Dobell part two

Recorded 1961

William John Wills

Voiced by Christopher Baldock

William Pidgeon

Recorded 1965

William Windeyer

Voiced by Tony Llewellyn-Jones

William Yang

Recorded 2022

229 results

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