Early Photography in Colonial Australia provides the first substantial study of the arrival and early practice of photography in the Australian colonies. Written from a contemporary perspective, it considers these earliest photographs — their value, their entangled relationships with other elements of visual culture, their loss, and the conversations on colonial reckoning and repair to which they still belong.

The book is composed from archival research in over 70 national and international collections, consultation with First Nations communities, and discussions with First Nations artists who use historic photographic processes in their practice. Our panel of leading writers, curators and artists who work in the field of photography and at the interface of colonial and Indigenous knowledge, will examine the multiple perspectives and conversations which propel the narrative of the book. 

Attend in person

Entry to this event is free but bookings are essential. Book signings and refreshments to follow in the foyer from 7:00pm.

Watch online

The presentation will also be available online. Please make a booking and we will send you a direct link to the livestream event via email. Or you can join anytime through the Library's YouTube channel. 

About the author

Dr Elisa deCourcy is a writer and curator living and working on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. Between 2020 and 2023 she was an Australian Research Council DECRA fellow at the Centre for Art History and Art Theory at the Australian National University. This book is a major outcome of this project. Elisa has written about photography and colonial art for the National Portrait Gallery, London; the Musée du quai Branly, Paris and the National Gallery of Victoria, as well as a range of national and international scholarly journals. 

About the speakers

Shona Coyne

Shona Coyne of Menang Noongar and Scottish heritage, is Manager of First Nations Outreach and Senior Curator at the National Museum of Australia, where she works at the meeting point of community knowledge, museum practice, and research. She is currently leading Kalyagul: Connections to Menang Country, a major 2026 exhibition with the Museum of the Great Southern that places Menang voices and cultural knowledge at its heart through collaboration with Elders, community members, scientists, and historians. 

James Tylor

James Tylor is a multi-disciplinary visual artist whose practice explores Australian environment, culture and social history. These mediums include photography, video, painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, sound, scents and food. He explores Australian cultural representations through the perspectives of his multicultural heritage that comprises Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Māori (Te Arawa) and European ancestry. Tylor’s work focuses largely on the history of 19th century Australia and its continual effect on present day issues surrounding cultural identity and the environment. His research, writing and artistic practice has focused most specifically on Kaurna indigenous culture from the Adelaide Plains region of South Australia and, more broadly, European colonial history in Southern Australia. 

Professor Emerita Helen Ennis

Professor Emerita Helen Ennis is a photo-historian and writer who explores the complex relationships between art and life. She was formerly Curator of Photography at the National Gallery of Australia and has curated numerous exhibitions for the NGA, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Library of Australia. Her many books include Photography and Australia and Reveries: Photography and Mortality. In recent years she has published three acclaimed biographies: Margaret Michaelis: Love, loss and photography, Olive Cotton: A life in photography, and Max Dupain: A Portrait. Helen was Director of the Centre for Art History and Art Theory at ANU School of Art & Design from 2014-18 and is now Professor Emerita.