On Our Collections
I have uploaded a piece, written from our new home in Melbourne in May 2025, about life on the beach in Sydney 1964. click here
Category Archives: essays
The Max
Revised 1993 article on Max Dupain
I have revisited, revised and uploaded a piece I wrote about Max Dupain in 1993.
Click here for that essay.
Wesley Stacey The Hermitage photos
On Our Collections
Hanging on our wall are two photographs taken by Wesley Stacey at The Hermitage — located north east of Melbourne. This was J.W. Lindt’s property with a guesthouse and extensive gardens. I have uploaded a piece about these two works. Click here.
Helen Ennis Unfixing
James McArdle has uploaded a brilliant piece on Helen Ennis’ thought provoking presentation at the Museum of Australian Photography’s launch of the book — The Basement — the photography from Prahran College. Click here.
On The Edge
Australian photographers of the Seventies
With the new interest in 1970s Australian photography, I remembered this exhibition that went to San Diego in 1995. Click here for my piece on this.
Epoch: Graham Howe 1970–1971
PhotoBook introduction and review
I have written a piece online to introduce Graham Howe’s new book, EPOCH, that features Graham Howe’s photography from his Prahran College years 1970–1971. Click here for the review.
International Women’s Day 2025
IWD 2025 — searching for peace. The image above by Daisy Wu. In these troubles times, we need to be positive and seek peace and harmony. Caption for the photograph: All quiet on the western front, 1955. Click here for more
Exhibition of photography from Prahran College
The basement: Prahran College photography (1968–1981)
Last Saturday (1st March 2024) the Museum of Australian Photography staged a very crowded (that is well attended) exhibition opening of the photography of students of Prahran College (in Melbourne) with works dating from 1968–1981.
Continue reading Exhibition of photography from Prahran College
Carol Eyerman
researching a photographer
I have uploaded to our web site a piece on Carol Eyerman, a woman photographer who may have been overlooked in our photo histories despite her significant body of work with LIFE and others. Click here.
A Mango Panacotta day out
Gabriel Cafe on Gertrude St Fitzroy
Always looking for reasons to travel around Melbourne, we spotted a closing down sale at a hat shop on Gertrude Street Fitzroy. This being just down the street from Gabriel Cafe, 187 Gertrude St, Fitzroy VIC. Off we went!
Ruth Bernhard
On Our Collections
I have uploaded a piece about one of my most cherished photographs, Ruth Bernhard’s 1946 Dead Sparrow — click here
Imagining A Real Australia
Book Launch at MAPh
This afternoon (Saturday 7 Dec) I had the pleasure of launching at the Museum of Australian Photography Stephen Zagala’s beautiful photography book — Imaging A Real Australia — about Australian documentary photography 1950 — 1980.
Carol Jerrems
Updating our online information
We have updated the information on our website on Carol Jerrems. Loads of links.
The Falk Studios: Book Review
The Theatrical Portrait Photography of H. Walter Barnett
I have uploaded a copy of a review I did in 2021 for the Theatre Heritage website on the 2019 book: The Falk Studios: The Theatrical Portrait Photography of H. Walter Barnett.
Click here for that article.
2024 Birthday in Melbourne
Enjoying lunch by the Yarra
On a very typical Melbourne day of varying weather, we took ourselves for a slightly early birthday lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant in Fairfield — on the Yarra Bend.
Gibson’s Auction August 2024
The treat of auction exhibitions
Since moving to Melbourne Paul and I have visited exhibitions of photography and other media. The list includes:
John Albok
On Our Collections
A wonderful photograph by New York photographer, John Albok (1894–1982)
Another cherished photograph that sits on our walls in our Melbourne home.
More on this photograph — click here.
Elaine Campaner, The Lake 2017 Copy
On Our Collections
A much loved work by Elaine Campaner (1969–2020) that has just taken pride of place on our walls in our new home in Melbourne. More on this work — click here.
Oceania: From Melbourne to Papeete
Revisiting a 2019 entry to an exhibition catalogue
This piece was a difficult piece to write. The requirement was to survey 19th century photography across the Pacific in a few hundred words. Many hours were spent reducing the entry and making decisions on what to leave out — reluctantly! If I ever find the time I may revisit this and make it a much longer piece with all the extras inserted back in. Wishful thinking maybe? Here’s the original piece.
Other Lives
Republishing previous article
Have revisited a previous article looking at the aesthetic connections to other mediums and how image makers respond to their era. I may follow up with some thoughts on how this applies in contemporary practice — today. Click here for my 1990s piece.
George Silk
The iconic 1942 New Guinea photograph
I have uploaded a piece on the iconic George Silk 1942 photograph of the Papuan carrier Raphael Oimbari assisting Private George Whittington. I have also included research “After The Photograph” using a selection of memorial sculptures that have been influenced by the Silk photograph. Click here for the online essays.
Rod McNicol, The Roses 2024
On Our Collections
When we moved, we dispersed some of our collections and said to ourselves that we should not buy any more. Then we saw this wonderful new work by Rod McNicol.
A previous notice for this was posted on Facebook — but their algorithm removed it. We have a theory. Click here for the original piece on our website
Elaine Campaner, The Lake 2017
On Our Collections
A much loved work by Elaine Campaner (1969–2020) that has just taken pride of place on our walls in our new home in Melbourne. More on this work — click here.
Klara Langer 1912–1973, Hungary
On Our Collections
Photography collections can be fun! I love good ‘table top’ works and we have a number in our collection. This is one — and I have written a small piece about it — click here
Thilly Weissenborn
photographer of former Dutch East Indies
Have uploaded information about this early 20th century woman photographer
with links to a special photo-web presentation/translation on a 1983 book originally published in Dutch. Have also included links to research on Thilly.
Click here.
Anzac Days — Colin Abbott
Magnet Galleries Exhibition
I have uploaded a piece about our visit to see the Anzac Days, the Colin Abbott exhibition at Magnet Galleries in Docklands, Melbourne.
Click here for the piece on our web site.
Update: Robert McFarlane Anzac Day
On Our Collection
An update on the previous article: Canberra colleagues have identified that the girl in the centre of the photograph is holding a Kodak Brownie Starlet — ‘Made in Australia’.
Now if only we knew who she was and does she have a photo of Robert McFarlane taking her photograph!
Robert McFarlane Anzac Day 1964
On Our Collection
I have uploaded a short piece about a Robert McFarlane photograph in our collection, Crowd lining the street on Anzac Day at Martin Place, Sydney, 1964.
Click here for the piece on our web site
Hélène Hoppenot
Following my research, collection acquisitions and exhibition on Southeast Asian photography while at the National Gallery of Australia, in 2014 I wrote a piece about Hélène Hoppenot and 1930s women modernist photographers in Southeast Asia. Till now this essay has been unpublished. It is now online — click here — more or less unchanged from the 2014 version with a few notes and links added.
Parting for Melbourne
Following our decision to move to Melbourne, we have packed up and cleaned out — and now have our home up for auction — this Saturday 4th November.
Click here for more on this.
Gender journey and genres 1994
revisiting my archive
The current national and international attention on women artists prompted me to plumb my archive where I found this 1994 commentary on the status of women in photography.
The Movement of Women 1996
Another piece from my archive
In a previous post I talked ‘gender, journeys and genres (1994).
Another find was The Movement of Women 1996.
Vale Wesley Stacey
Wesley Stacey died Bega Hospital 9 February 2023. My first meeting with photographer Wesley Stacey was at his Annandale home in Sydney 1974. He was already well known and recognised as one of the most tuned in figures of the new art photography scene.
Picture in Print 1976 & 2022
Australian Photo-History Publications
I have unearthed an essay from 1976 which was a commentary about photo-history books available at the time.
Re-constructed Vision
Contemporary work with photography 25th July-23rd August, 1981
Over the recent years I have been searching through my archives for articles and essays that we have since published on our web-site. I had overlooked one exhibition. That was the 1981 Project Gallery exhibition Re-constructed Vision: Contemporary work with photography at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
It is now uploaded to our web site.
camera chic
East West Chic
In 2017 The Asia Art Society of Australia (TAASA) hosted a seminar of East West Chic.
I presented a talk on Camera Chic based on a collection we had put together – with fun pictures from Asian studio portraiture. The collection highlighted the fusion of East and West evident in dress, accessories, and studio backdrops. Click here for more
Make sure you see the link to the powerpoint slides with loads of photographs to enjoy.
Parting with your art — library stories
A new upload to my blog about Parting With Your Art.
This time about a friend’s experience of parting with her library plus a tale from me about all those plastic folders. Click here.
On Our Collections
Comments and observations on the work of the photographer,
Dorothy Warner of Adelaide 1890 — 1969 — click here
On Our Collections
James Jameson circa 1866–84
Comments and observations on a CVD of a nanny and two children — click here
On Our Collections
E. B. Mowll – Portrait
Comments and observations on a striking portrait by the E.B. Mowll Studio — click here
revisiting Photo Files 1999
The 1999 reader contains 33 essays selected by Blair French, who was then program manager for the Australian Centre for Photography.
The texts had been previously published in the Centre of Photography’s journal — Photofile — that had been published since 1983. I wrote the preface to this publication. There’s a table of contents below my online essay along with links to information about photofile and the ACP. Click here for my essay.
cover image: Tracey Moffatt, Up In The Sky #3 1997 (detail)
Parting with Your Art ~ November 2021
An update on parting with my archives
Updated November 2021
Have uploaded more to Parting with Your Art — click here.
This new page is an update on my most recent experiences on parting with my own archive as well as some thoughts that may be useful to others dealing with these downsizing matters
For the full list of pages so far: Click here
Curators and Photography
Have uploaded to our photo-web site a special section on the first photography curators — Australian that is. We have listed four: Jennie Boddington, Ian North, Gael Newton (me!), and Alan Davies. The listings for Jennie and myself include 1983 interviews by the Australian Centre of Photography. These are very long! (you have been warned)
If you know of any other useful online material on these people, please make contact.
Typewriters I Have Known
In searching out my archive of essays, I came upon a draft of one about a technology tool that served me well… The Typewriter. Now updated — Click here.
Australian Pictorial Photography ~ Seeing The Light
Essay from Truth Beauty 2008
This essay was originally published in the 2008 catalogue for the Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition — click here.
CARTE-O-MANIA
National Portrait Gallery Canberra 2018–19 exhibition
For people interested in Australian CDVs, it is highly recommended that you get hold of the book that accompanied the 2018–1019 exhibition. Click here for a sample of the book
Spot On
the art of film stills photography, 1906–2001
I was approached by Penny Grist of the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra to advise on the 2017 exhibition — Starstruck. I then had the great experience of working with the co-curators Penny from the Portrait Gallery and Jenny Coombes of National Film and Sound Archive. This was a fun collaborative research experience — with my essay published in their book for the exhibition. Click here for the essay now online.
Michael Riley
The elders: Indigenous photography in Australia
The wonders of looking through your own archive. I realised I had not uploaded an essay from 2006 on Michael Riley. Have now — so here’s the link — click here.
Parting with Your Art ~ June 2021
Large Collections and Managing Expectations
Updated June 2021 Have uploaded more to Parting with Your Art — click here.
This page is about managing expectations, large collections, institutional collection policies, points for collectors approaching art museums and archives, recommended first steps — and more..
For the full list of pages so far: Click here
Melita Dahl Portrait 2021
An essay for Melita Dahl’s exhibition at PhotoAccess
Contributed an essay for Melita Dahl’s June 2021 exhibition at PhotoAcccess in Canberra. The exhibition is open until 10 July 2021.
more on John Kauffmann
As I said in a previous post — I have been uploading my writings to my essay pages.
There is now an updated portal page for John Kauffmann — click here; that includes a link to my 1996 essay for the exhibition John Kauffmann Art Photographer
John Kauffmann
I have been uploading more of my writings to my essay pages.
Today I have uploaded a 1980 essay on John Kauffmann. Click here for this essay
Updating Parting with Your Art ~ April 2021
More Pages about Parting with Your Art
Updated April 2021
topics: Downsizing Collections; More on Capital Gains Tax; Finding new homes for my library. Have uploaded these new pages to Parting with Your Art — click here.
introducing Parting with Your Art
Pages about Parting with Your Art
Updated 12 August 2020
Have uploaded new pages on Parting with Your Art — click here.
parting with your art
watch this space
Will be writing up some experiences and thoughts about parting with your art. This will be based on my own experiences as well as many stories heard in recent years.
Walter Woodbury
Entrepreneur, Inventor: Woodbury in Indonesia
I have uploaded a small essay I wrote in 2014 about Walter Woodbury in Indonesia. This essay was linked to the exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia — Garden of the East: photography in Indonesia 1850s-1940s. Click here for my essay online.
There’s also another small essay online that relates to a photograph — the one above — titled Serimpies, or dancing girls of the Sultano c.1858 . Click here for that essay.
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For the list of my essays (being updated) click here
Photojournalism by Jessica Lange
The Guardian online presentation
Highway 61 revisited — photographs of this historic route. Click here
George Silk
George Silk, Photojournalist
I have several essays online relating to George Silk the photojournalist. Born in Levin, New Zealand in 1916, Silk served as a photojournalist for Life Magazine for 30 years.
He is well known as a war photographer, that part of his career began in 1939 serving for the Australian government in the Middle East, North Africa and Greece.
There are many other aspects of his achievements covered in my essays. Most of my research related to the exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia in 2000.
Here are the links to my essays:
Going to Extremes: George Silk, Photojournalist from the NGA exhibition catalogue
Going to extremes: George Silk photographer essay in Art & Australia
George Silk,Fawn and rainbow trout, tributary of the Madison River, Montana
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For the list of my essays (being updated) click here
Tracey Moffatt
Online essays about Tracey Moffatt
I have several essays online about Tracey Moffatt and her photography. There’s also a link to an online version of the 1995 publication Fever Pitch with essays by Tracey and myself.
Tracey Moffatt: Invocations (2001)
Published in the exhibition catalogue — Australian National University Gallery 2001
Tracey Moffatt: The memory theatre of Tracey Moffatt
An exhibition held at the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2 February — 9 April 2000
Tracey Moffatt: See the woman with the red dress on … and on … and on
Essay in Art and Asia Pacific 1994
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Online: 1995 Fever Pitch, Tracey Moffatt & Gael Newton
Published online the now out of print publication (1995) with key essay by Gael Newton on Tracey Moffatt’s work along with two essays by Tracey Moffatt.
Fever Pitch was originally published in 1995 by Piper Press, Annadale (Sydney).
For more of Gael Newton’s papers — click here.
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For the list of my essays (being updated) click here
Australian Feminist Photography
Indecent Exposures:
Twenty Years of Australian Feminist Photography
My 1994 review of Indecent Exposures: Twenty Years of Australian Feminist Photography by Catriona Moore, Allen & Unwin in association with the Power Institute of Fine Art, Sydney — click here
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For the list of my essays (being updated) click here
Curatorland
Writing in the Rain, FX Harsono - Still from colour video 2011 Collection National Gallery of Australia
Following my leaving the National Gallery in September 2014, I was asked by the editor of the Journal of the Asian Arts Society Australia to write about my last decade at the gallery — the decade that saw the establishment of a survey collection of Asia-Pacific photography spanning from South Asia to the west coast of the Americas.
The new collection was largely based around major collections acquired from several major private collections of Asia-Pacific photography including one of some 5000 colonial-era Indonesian photographs.
Here’s that story — click here
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For the list of my other essays (being updated) click here
Australian Photography since the 1970s
Michael Riley’s Cloud (2000)
Generations: Australian Photography since the 1970s
This essay was originally published in the catalogue Photographica Australis
for the 2002 exhibition by the Australian Centre of Photography
Curated by Alasdair Foster. Click here
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For the list of my essays (being updated) click here
Axel Poignant
I have uploaded an online version of the catalogue for the 1982 retrospective exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW — Axel Poignant, photographs 1922–1980. Click here.
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For the list of my essays (being updated) click here
Peter Dombrovskis
Now online — my essay published in the 2006 book on Peter Dombrovskis:
Simply by Liz Dombrovskis. Click here for the link
There was also an exhibition in 2018 at the National Library of Australia, reviewed by Sasha Grishin — click here
Mark Kimber
Exhibition: The River of Faces
Exhibition at GAGProjects (Adelaide) till 18 November 2018.
Click here for my essay and links to the exhibition page.
A quiet celebration here today
Member of the Order of Australia
I have many people to thank for their support over a career that I continue to enjoy.
Max Dupain
Links to essays on Max Dupain
We have uploaded a new page on photo-web that provides a link to my essays on Max Dupain as well as links to other articles and resources. Click here.
Celebrating photographers
https://www.facebook.com/theARTMUSEum.PaulCostigan/posts/561296737535490
the cup that cheers
My Favourite Slide: The cup that cheers
originally published earlier this year as a contribution to the research ‘Heritage in the Limelight: the magic lantern in Australia and the world’. click here for my paper
David Moore
TAP
Trans Asia Photography review
click here for the TAP site — or here for the Spring 2017 details — that includes a link to a review by me.
Belinda Hungerford: ROAD WORK AHEAD
New paper uploaded on photography research
Click on the image above to see a new research paper by Belinda Hungerford that has been uploaded to photoweb.
National Gallery Singapore
CHARTING THOUGHTS: ESSAYS ON ART IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
A new research book has been published by the National Gallery of Singapore. It contains essays on Southeast Asian art by 25 scholars.
I was given the honour by the NGS of being one the contributing scholars.
The book is available from the NGS shop and through their website — click here.
Elaine Campaner
Exhibition: Elaine Campaner at Gallery 9
An Elaine Campaner exhibition of photographs — recommended.
Philip Bentley and Group M
A history of Group M photographers by Philip Bentley
Back in 1996, Philip Bentley, Melbourne historian, wrote a thesis on the history of the Melbourne photographers, Group M.
George W Bell
George W Bell: Australian photographer & painter
George W Bell photographer (1920 — 2008) was member of Group M — in Melbourne.
papers, articles, research, articles
Photo London 2017
Mat Collishaw – Thresholds
Re-staging the first photographic exhibition..
photography history
A History of the Australian Centre for Photography 1973–2013
Toby Meagher’s Research Paper–June 2013. The paper was written for a Masters in Art Administration at COFA. Click here.
photography
The most photographed person in the 19th Century
Click on the image for the story on Artsy — about Frederick Douglass and his love and use of photography. “How Frederick Douglass Harnessed the Power of Portraiture to Reframe Blackness in America”
papers, articles, research, articles
papers, articles, research, articles
papers, articles, research, articles
Trent Parke Avenue of Honour
Trent Parke’s Avenue of Honour at the Australian War Memorial
John F Williams 1933–2016
We recently heard of the death of a great Australian photographer. Click here to see an essay on John from 2004.
The Big Tree
While we often celebrate wood and things made out of such ‘natural’ products — it is good to reminded just where that all that wood came from and wonder whether we will see such beauty again.
Out of Sight
Click on the image above for a link to the pdf of the article by Gael Newton previously published as one of the papers from a seminar held in Melbourne in 2012. Continue reading Out of Sight
Jeffrey Milstein
Click on image for photo essay on inequity in LA neighbourhoods
Head On Photography
Excellent review of Head On portrait prize
click on image for link to article by Richard Johnstone
Trans Asia Photography Review
Review: Ars Orientalis 43 (2013)
Gael Newton reviews the Spring 2015 issue — Volume 43 of Ars Orientalis, a peer-reviewed annual journal based on the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (F|S) collections of Asian Art and their related archives and research programs. Click on logo for the review.
George Silk
I have uploaded another of my papers. This one is from a National Gallery of Australia exhibition on George Silk. Click on the image above.