Woolloomooloo
1956
Medium
gelatin silver photograph
Measurements
25.0 × 30.2 cm (image)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, 1991
© Lynette Ann Talbot
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
In the 1950s, many Australian photographers – even commercially successful ones like Henry Talbot – felt disillusioned by the cliched subjects and picturesque images popular across photography salons and exhibitions. In response, some photographers began to work in a more direct, social documentary style. While visiting Sydney in 1956, Talbot took a walk through the then working-class suburb of Woolloomooloo in search of subjects to express the reality of people’s lives. This portrait of a young woman gently cradling her cat shows a moment of tender introspection. The quiet moment is seemingly at odds with the harshness of the subject’s impoverished surrounds and is an example of the humanist interests inspiring younger photographers at the time.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in ballpoint pen (in image) l.r.: Henry Talbot 56
inscribed in pencil on reverse l.l.: Henry Talbot 56
inscribed in pencil on reverse l.r.: 5
Accession Number
PH157-1991
Department
Australian Photography
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Professor AGL Shaw AO Bequest