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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.

Harold Blair

Ernest Buckmaster

In their own words
In their own words

Recorded 1965

Sir Ernest Fisk
Sir Ernest Fisk
Sir Ernest Fisk

Sir Ernest Fisk, n.d. (after 1937)

an unknown artist
Portrait, oil on canvas

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs Jane Fisk 2012

Ernest Hutcheson
Ernest Hutcheson
Ernest Hutcheson

Ernest Hutcheson, n.d.

an unknown artist
Portrait, carbon print photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Sir Ernest Thomas Fisk
Sir Ernest Thomas Fisk
Sir Ernest Thomas Fisk

Sir Ernest Thomas Fisk, 1943-1944

Charles Wheeler
Portrait, coloured chalk and black ink on artist board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

Harold Blair
Harold Blair
Harold Blair

Harold Blair, 1948

Ernest Buckmaster
Portrait, oil on canvas

Purchased 2010

Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba

Nellie Melba, 1898

Ernest Walter Histed
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879)
The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879)
The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879)

The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879), 1876

The Illustrated London News after Jesse Young
Portrait, wood engraving on paper

Purchased 2010

The Jester (self portrait)
The Jester (self portrait)
The Jester (self portrait)

The Jester (self portrait), 1923

Lionel Lindsay
Portrait, wood engraving on paper

Gift of Sir Richard Kingsland AO CBE DFC 2003. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Yousuf Karsh by George O'Neill

Karsh

Faces of the Twentieth Century
Previous exhibition, 1998

Yousuf Karsh - the most famous portrait photographer in the world - has photographed the statesmen, artists, literary and scientific figures who have defined the 20th century and shaped our lives, In this, his 90th year, the National Portrait Gallery is thrilled to present an exhibition of Karsh's photography of 20th century figures.

Paradise won, 2024 Ryan Presley

Ryan Presley: Paradise won

Current exhibition

Marri Ngarr artist Ryan Presley's site-specific commission Paradise won is prominently positioned at the Gallery’s entrance. This ambitious new work invites conversations about the ongoing legacies of colonisation and celebrates First Nations survival and autonomy.

Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V)
Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V)
Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V)

Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V), 1903

H. Walter Barnett
Portrait, platinum photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Roberts 2015

Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)
Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)
Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)

Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary), 1903

H. Walter Barnett
Portrait, platinum photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Roberts 2015

Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)
Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)
Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)

Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary), 1903

H. Walter Barnett
Portrait, platinum photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Roberts 2015

Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)
Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)
Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary)

Duchess of Cornwall and York (later Queen Mary), 1903

H. Walter Barnett
Portrait, platinum photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Roberts 2015

Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V)
Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V)
Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V)

Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V), 1903

H. Walter Barnett
Portrait, platinum photograph

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Peter Roberts 2015

Hedda Morrison
Hedda Morrison
Hedda Morrison

Hedda Morrison, 1941 (printed 2004)

Alastair Morrison
Portrait, type C photograph from an original negative on paper

Gift of the artist 2004

Tim Jarvis
Tim Jarvis
Tim Jarvis

Tim Jarvis, 2018

Doug Gimesy
Portrait, type C photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2019

Paquita Mawson
Paquita Mawson
Paquita Mawson

Paquita Mawson, late 1940s

Ingrid Erns
Portrait, oil on canvas

Gift of Gareth Mawson Thomas and Pamela Karran-Thomas of the Mawson family 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Douglas Mawson
Douglas Mawson
Douglas Mawson

Douglas Mawson, 1933

Henry James Haley
Portrait, oil on canvas laid on board

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Gareth Mawson Thomas and Pamela Karran-Thomas of the Mawson family 2010
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program

Charles Haddon Chambers
Charles Haddon Chambers
Charles Haddon Chambers

Charles Haddon Chambers, 1921

Ralph Barton
Portrait, ink and watercolour on cardboard

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Self portrait
Self portrait
Self portrait

Self portrait, c. 1911

Frank Hurley OBE
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Purchased 2005

TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson
TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson
TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson

TW Edgeworth David and Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 1924

Annie May Moore
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2010

Sir Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson
Sir Douglas Mawson

Sir Douglas Mawson, c. 1916

Thomson Studios
Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Mrs J.Q. McEwin 2000

Self portrait with glove

To Look Within

Self Portraits in Australia
Previous exhibition, 2004

This exhibition is the first comprehensive survey of self-portraits in Australia, from the colonial period to the present

Sandor Ferenczis 50th birthday dinner, Budapest, 1923

Less than six degrees of separation

Magazine article by Dr Anne Sanders, 2011

Anne Sanders finds connections in Inner Worlds between Hungarian expatriates and the development of psychoanalysis in Australia.

Elle Macpherson

Australian Visit

Previous exhibition, 2006

The exhibition will include works of art from the NPG Canberra's permanent collection with some inward loans and aims to highlight the achievements of notable Australians.

Self portrait

Of ice and men

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2009

Frank Hurley's celebrated images document the heroism and minutiae of Australian exploration in Antarctica.

Blue Mountain, Owner, Trainer, Jockey, James Scobie

Sure thing

Magazine article by Michael Desmond, 2009

Blue Mountain, Owner, Trainer, Jockey, James Scobie 1887 by Frederick Woodhouse Snr. is a portrait of James Scobie, well known jockey and eminent horse trainer.

Charles Haddon Chambers

Suave

Magazine article by Dr Sarah Engledow, 2010

Charles Haddon Chambers the Australian-born playboy playwright settled permanently in London in 1880 but never lost his Australian stance when satirising the English.

Ray Lawler

Diamond Doll

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2016

Karen Vickery delights in a thespian thread of the Australian yarn.

Yellow portrait (portrait of Alex Jelinek)

Fugue in Yellow

Magazine article by Roger Benjamin, 2015

Roger Benjamin explores the intriguing union of Lina Bryans and Alex Jelinek.

Chang the Chinese giant and party

The portrait writ large

Magazine article by Karen Vickery, 2015

Karen Vickery on Chang the Chinese giant in Australia.

Betty Bryant, c. 1939

The life of Bryant

Magazine article by Tenille Hands, 2018

Tenille Hands explores a portrait prize gifted to the National Screen and Sound Archive.

Sir Douglas Mawson

Staying home

True south #2
About Face article

Joanna Gilmour brings a mindful Douglas Mawson’s perspective to bear on the concept of isolation.

First-Class Marksman, 1946 by Sidney Nolan

Money for Myth

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2015

Australian character on the market by Jane Raffan.

Sarah Bernhardt, 1876 by Georges Clairin

Demimonde liaisons

Magazine article by Jane Raffan, 2017

Jane Raffan feasts on modernity’s entrée in the Belle Époque theatre of the demimonde.

Portrait of a Pioneer , 1917 
Violet Teague

Off her own bat

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2022

Joanna Gilmour profiles Violet Teague, whose sophisticated works hid her originality and non-conformity in plain sight.

Anangu landscape learning

About Face article

Angus' initial perception of Uluru shifts, as he comes to see it as central to the entire order of Anangu life.

Dr Reg Hook

Inner Worlds and psychoanalysis

Lecture, 4 June 2011
General content

Inner Worlds evokes a broad view of psychology as a discipline. However, the specific interests of the practitioners whose portraits are included in the exhibition incorporate specialist areas including psychoanalysis.

Dr Anne Sanders

Less than six degrees of separation

Lecture, 28 May 2011
General content

Dr Anne Sanders NPG Curatorial Researcher investigated the lives of the pioneering psychologists whose portraits are featured in Inner Worlds.

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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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