Delve into the fascinating stories behind some of Australia’s most iconic photographs in Behind the Truth, a new travelling display which opened at Parkes Library over the weekend and continues until April 8.
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The exhibition features 10 iconic images from the State Library’s unrivalled collections that question the role of truth in photography.
“War, politics, daily life… photographs can capture history in different ways, but they can’t always be used as truthful historical resources,” says Louise Tegart, Manager, Exhibitions at the State Library.
The exhibition illustrates the duplicity behind some very famous imagery, such as Edward Searle’s heroic image Southern Sun in Sydney, 1930.
“Southern Sun in Sydney celebrates the arrival in Sydney of pioneer aviatrix Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.
“However, her plane The Jason, which features in the background of the image, crashed in Brisbane and she arrived in the Southern Sun with Charles Ulm. This photograph is actually a montage of three images,” Ms Tegart said.
Even renowned Australian photographer Max Dupain cannot escape the scrutiny, with the truth behind one of his most famous images revealed in this exhibition.
“The Sunbaker has come to epitomise the quintessential Aussie male, but the model (Hal Salvage) was actually a British architectural engineer with a pronounced English accent,” Ms Tegart said.
She says not many people will know that David Moore’s famous 1966 image Migrants arriving in Sydney is in fact not of migrants at all.
“These images are a caution against using photographs as truthful historical resources without understanding the real story behind them.”
