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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.

Search / tim fairfax

Tim Fairfax AC

Tim Fairfax AC

Tim Fairfax AC (b.1946), company director, grazier and philanthropist, is a founding benefactor of the National Portrait Gallery and a former chair of its board of directors.

1 portrait in the collection

A boy drawing on paper with a pencil

Art Cart

Event, Daily until Sunday 18 June

Ponder your place in the world and reflect on your own identity by making your own ‘me tree’.

Portrait play

Portrait Play

Event, Daily from Monday 3 July

Through looking, playing and creating, go on a journey of speculation as we explore a variety of portraits and wonder what their stories could be.

Emily Kame Kngwarreye with Lily

Little Faces

Event, Selected days from Wednesday 28 June

Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.

Tangki Tjuta Donkeys

Story Time

Tangki Tjuta Donkeys – Story and sculptures by Tjanpi Desert Weavers

Event, Thursday 6 July

Come one, come all! Book in (see what we did there?) for an immersive story time with us and celebrate NAIDOC week!

Virtual Excursions

Current programs

Live, interactive learning programs coming soon wherever you are.

James Oswald Fairfax

James Fairfax AO

James Oswald Fairfax AC (1933-2017) was the eldest son of Sir Warwick Fairfax.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Mrs Fairfax

Elizabeth Fairfax

Elizabeth Fairfax (née Jesson, 1778–1861), colonial free settler, was born in Birmingham and around 1800 married William Fairfax, whose family had previously held estates in Barford, Warwickshire.

1 portrait in the collection

John Fairfax

Hon. John Fairfax MLC

John Fairfax (1805-1877) was a newspaper publisher whose purchase of the Sydney Morning Herald in 1841 began a family association with the paper that would last for over five generations and nearly 150 years.

3 portraits in the collection

Emily Fairfax

Emily Fairfax

Emily Ross (née Fairfax) (1832-1871) was the eldest child of newspaper publisher John Fairfax - who founded the Fairfax news dynasty in Sydney in 1841 - and his wife Sarah.

1 portrait in the collection

Portrait of Mrs Sarah Fairfax

Sarah Fairfax

Sarah Reading (1808-1875) came to Sydney from England in 1838 with her husband, John Fairfax (1805-1877), who had left school at the age of twelve and been apprenticed to a printer and bookseller.

1 portrait in the collection

Charlie Teo

'I would love to be considered mainstream'

Acclaimed neurosurgeon, Charlie Teo discusses the pressures of his career.

Phrenology video: 3 minutes 25 seconds

Ned Kelly and death masks

'Judge a person by their cover'

Alexandra Roginski explains the history behind the pseudo-science of phrenology.

Tom Carroll

Regarded as one of the greatest surfers of all time, Tom Carroll describes his career.

Sir Warwick Fairfax

Sir Warwick Oswald Fairfax

Sir Warwick Oswald Fairfax (1901-1987), grandson of Sarah and James Fairfax, was the only son of Sir James Fairfax, who had become a partner in the company in the 1880s.

1 portrait in the collection

Sir James Reading Fairfax

Sir James Reading Fairfax KT

James Reading Fairfax (1834 -1919) was the second of John Fairfax's sons to join him in business.

1 portrait in the collection

© National Portrait Gallery 2023
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Phone +61 2 6102 7000
ABN: 54 74 277 1196

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 past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency