This portrait of Julia Gillard was taken by Peter Brew-Bevan in 2013. It is a type C photograph on paper, measuring about 90 centimetres tall by 75 centimetres wide.
In the photograph, Julia is shown from chest up, her elbows leaning on a table in front of her. A light bulb behind and above her head glows yellow amidst a dark blue background.
In the top centre of the portrait, the light bulb, out of focus, floats. It is suspended by an invisible cord. The centre of the light is bright white, surrounded by a perfectly round yellow-orange glass globe. The light only slightly illuminates pale smudges to either side on the flat dark surface of the background.
Julia's head is below the bulb. Julia's dark red hair is parted on the side with fine threads of copper curves framing her face in her signature bob cut, the ends coming in close around her jaw. Julia's face is angled slightly down and to the right. Light reflects off her forehead, nose and cheeks, washing out the colour and smoothing the skin. She has fine, light red-brown eyebrows, wide spaced and following the shape of her eyes. Beneath hooded lids and a delicate fringe of eyelashes painted with dark mascara, Julia looks up directly at us. Light picks out the brown-green in her left eye and brings out grey-blue in her right.
Julia has a slender straight nose, the tip angled down. There is a faint tinge of warm rouge on her cheek bones and a similar red gloss on her lips. Only the right edge of Julia's lips is visible, slightly upturned, and parted. Julia's entwined hands obscure the lower left of her face. Her palms touch in the centre beneath her chin, then her hands angle to her left, with the fingers loosely interlaced. The skin on her hands is pale, smooth and unblemished and her nails are neatly manicured with white tips.
A necklace of large round beads rests against of her neck, the beads’ soft lustre reflecting dark greys and golds.
Julia is wearing a brilliant-white business shirt, its winged collar undone to the second button, framing her necklace. It has long sleeves, the cuffs buttoned, fitting against her wrists and forearms.
Julia's elbows rest on a flat dark surface streaked by patches of white chalk dust.
Audio description written and read by Lucinda Shawcross