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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Antonia Blaxland

n.d.
Max Dupain OBE

gelatin silver photograph on paper (sheet: 50.5 cm x 40.0 cm, image: 44.0 cm x 35.5 cm)

Antonia Blaxland (1929-1989), photographer, was the great-great granddaughter of Gregory Blaxland, leader of the successful Blue Mountains expedition in 1813. Her parents, Helen and Gregory Blaxland, were significant collectors of the work of Sydney artists. Helen Blaxland, a published exponent of the art of floral arrangement, worked for the Red Cross and played a major part in setting up the National Trust, founding its women’s committee and later becoming its vice-president. One of Helen Blaxlands’s initiatives was the exhibition No Time to Spare!, featuring photographs of early buildings by Max Dupain. Later, she was created DBE. Growing up in Woollahra, Antonia was educated at Frensham, Mittagong, and on finishing school she appears to have had some photographic training from Max Dupain. In 1950 she went overseas to ski (‘Miss Antonia Blaxland had barely touched land in England before she dashed to Switzerland for the winter sports. She left an impression here of some lovely clothes, especially her pancake berets.’) By the middle of that year she was working in the studio of Douglas Glass, a leading London photographer. On her return to Australia she made the best of her family connections, photographing interiors by Marion Hall Best, for example, as well as ski events in Australia and New Zealand. In 1959 she married the divorcee Richard Macarthur-Stanham and they lived henceforth at Camden Park House, which he had inherited from his mother. They had two children. Antonia predeceased her mother, Helen Blaxland.

Gift of Danina Dupain Anderson 2017. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.
© Max Dupain/Copyright Agency, 2024

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

Max Dupain OBE

Antonia Blaxland

Donated by

Danina Dupain Anderson (47 portraits)

© National Portrait Gallery 2024
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Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

The National Portrait Gallery is an Australian Government Agency