Search / bessie gibson

Portrait, watercolour on ivory in locket frame

Bessie Gibson (1868-1961), like Harold Parker, studied under Godfrey Rivers at the Brisbane Central Technical College, where she developed an interest in miniature painting.

1 portrait in the collection

Harold Parker, c. 1906

Bessie Gibson

Gift of Rosamond Shepherd 2010. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Betsy (Bessie) Lee

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on cabinet card

Betsy (Bessie) Lee Cowie (1860–1950), 'Australia's Temperance Queen', spent the early part of her life in Daylesford, Victoria, one of the five children of Henry Vickery, a butcher and miner, and his wife Emma.

1 portrait in the collection

Bessie Lee, c. 1890

Yeoman & Co, Melbourne

Purchased 2017

Mel Gibson AO

Mel Gibson (b. 1956), actor, was born in New York state, the sixth of eleven children of a railroad brakeman and an Australian opera singer.

1 portrait in the collection

Me, alone

Azlin Gibson

Sir Robert Gibson

Sir Robert Gibson GBE (1863-1934) trained in design and drafting in Glasgow, where he began work as a designer at an iron company; he soon became manager of its London office.

1 portrait in the collection

Brett Canét-Gibson (b. 1965) has a 25-year career as an image maker, Creative Director, writer and communicator in portrait, still life and landscape commercial and editorial photography, graphic design and visual arts.

3 portraits in the collection

Mel Gibson, 1982

William Yang

Purchased 2003

Charles Gibson Millar

Charles Gibson Millar (1839–1900), entrepreneur, was engaged in a number of industrial and agricultural enterprises in Australia during the 1870s, 80s and 90s.

1 portrait in the collection

Bodie, 2017

Jessica, 2014

Mastura, 2016

Tiffany, 2015

Unmasked - Bob Gordon

Magazine article by Brett Canét-Gibson, 2018

The Life of Riley, 2014 by Brett Canet-Gibson

Observation Point

Portrait photography, by definition, is a collaboration. It is also the grandest of lies masquerading as the ultimate truth.

Sir Robert Gibson, 1934

Paul Montford

Portrait, cast bronze on granite base

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of The Australian Industry Group 2012

Ian Thorpe, 1998 (printed 2019)

'My influence is around 1850'

Purchased 2019

Brett Canét-Gibson & Heath Bergersen

Portrait story

Brett Canét-Gibson on making a portrait with Heath Bergersen.

Trevor Jamieson, 2016 by Brett Canet-Gibson

Heath, 2020 (printed 2022)

Purchased 2022

Trevor Jamieson, 2016

Sir Leslie Ward, Vanity Fair Magazine

Purchased 2018

Saide, R.Y.S. (Charles Gibson Millar), 1894

Portrait, chromolithograph on paper

Purchased 2015

Maria Dowling and her children Leura, Bessie, Selina, Jane, Jack, Ben and Joe Dowling [Selina Dowling, Jane Dowling, Maria Jane Dowling (née Ware), John Ware Dowling, Joseph Dowling, Benjamin Dowling, Elizabeth (Bessie) Dowling, Leura Dowling]

Maria Dowling and her children Leura, Bessie, Selina, Jane, Jack, Ben and Joe Dowling [Selina Dowling, Jane Dowling, Maria Jane Dowling (née Ware), John Ware Dowling, Joseph Dowling, Benjamin Dowling, Elizabeth (Bessie) Dowling, Leura Dowling], c. 1859

an unknown artist

Portrait, ambrotype, hand coloured

Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Dowling family portrait [Selina, Jane, Leura and Elizabeth (Bessie) Dowling]

Dowling family portrait [Selina, Jane, Leura and Elizabeth (Bessie) Dowling], c. 1862

an unknown artist

Portrait, ambrotype

Gift of Malcolm Robertson in memory of William Thomas Robertson 2018. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

Previous exhibition, 2017

The exhibition is selected from a national field of entries, reflecting the distinctive vision of Australia's aspiring and professional portrait photographers and the unique nature of their subjects.

The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879)

The Australian exploring expedition travelling through scrub (from the Illustrated London News 1879), 1876

The Illustrated London News after Jesse Young

Portrait, wood engraving on paper

Purchased 2010

My home, 2014

by Peter Blakeman

Ernest Giles

Ernest Giles (1835-1897), explorer, came to Australia at the age of fifteen, settling in Adelaide.

1 portrait in the collection

David Warren

David Warren graduated from RMIT in 1964, after which he taught for some twenty years at the Prahran School of Art, RMIT and Ballarat CAE.

1 portrait in the collection

Barry Walsh

Previous exhibition, 2023

Barry Walsh (b. 1951) is a painter, photographer and printmaker who has studied in Italy and France and has exhibited since the early '80s in Europe as well as Australia.

1 portrait in the collection

Self portrait, 1930 Margaret Preston. © Art Gallery of New South Wales, gift of the artist at the request of the Trustees 1930

The attractions of bohemia

It's Complicated

In the company of women

Little Darlings Youth Portrait Prize 2023

Little Darlings is for primary and secondary students, with four separate categories across Kindergarten to Year 12. Responding to the theme ‘Me and my place’, students painted, drew, photographed, printed or combined all of these to make their portrait.

Between Light and Shadow

Portraits by Stuart Campbell

Previous exhibition, 2011

The late Australian photographer Stuart Campbell produced superb photographs of Australian actors of stage and screen.

POL

Portrait of a Generation

Previous exhibition, 2003

POL was a magazine that ran from 1969 to 1986

Stuart Campbell

Magazine article by William Yang, 2022

Stuart Campbell, born in Ballarat, became interested in photography as a student at Swinburne Technical College in Melbourne.

10 portraits in the collection

Miscellaneous obsessions

William Yang shares the stories behind his autobiographical self portraits that celebrate his cultural heritage and identity.

Gideon Obarzanek, 2012

Dave Tacon

Magazine article by Joanna Gilmour, 2010

Purchased 2012

Small worlds

Bess Norriss Tait created miniature watercolour portraits full of character and life.

Andrew Southall, 1992

Rick Amor

Portrait, drypoint on wove paper

Gift of the artist 2005. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Wik vs Queensland

Screening

Event, Sunday 2 June

This landmark feature documentary tracks the lead up to the 1996 High Court decision to grant native title to the Wik Peoples of Cape York, and the demonisation that followed at the hands of politicians and media.

Tjayanka Woods

Tjayanka Woods (d. 2014) was a senior Pitjantjatjara artist and cultural custodian.

2 portraits in the collection

Gillian Armstrong AM

Gillian Armstrong (b. 1950) studied theatre and film-making at Swinburne Technical College and was a star student at the newly-established Australian Film and Television School in the early 70s.

2 portraits in the collection

Gideon Obarzanek

Portrait, gelatin silver photograph on paper

Gideon Obarzanek (b. 1966), choreographer, director and curator, spent his early life in Israel, attended school in Melbourne and won a place at the Australian Ballet School, choreographing his first piece there in 1987.

1 portrait in the collection

Gillian Armstrong AM, 1973

Gordon Glenn

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2003

George Miller, 2002 (printed 2004)

Karin Catt

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased 2005

Willow Legge

Willow Legge (b. 1934) is a British artist who studied sculpture at Chelsea School of Art from 1951 to 1956 under Willi Soukop and Bernard Meadows.

1 portrait in the collection

Henry "Seaman" Dan, 2009

Nathan Kelly

Purchased 2010

George Tjungurrayi

George Tjungurrayi (b. c. 1943–1947) is a highly respected senior Pintupi artist.

2 portraits in the collection

Mrs Woods and ‘Ere, 2013

Karla Dickens

Archived media releases 2017

Purchased 2019

George Tjungurrayi, 2002

Matthÿs Gerber

Portrait, oil on canvas

Gift of Pamela Hansford 2007. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Richard Morecroft & Alison Mackay, 2016 by Gary Grealy

Gary Grealy wins National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017

31 March 2017

After months of anticipation, the winner for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 has been announced with renowned Sydney portrait photographer Gary Grealy taking out the award. George Fetting, guest judge for the 2017 Prize, was entranced with the evocative nature of the winning portrait Richard Morecroft and Alison Mackay.

2013-14 Acquisition Fund

Annual Appeal

This 1910 portrait of Elizabeth Sarah (Lillie) Roberts by Tom Roberts was brought into the Gallery's collection with the assistance of the Acquisition Fund in 2013.

Mrs Woods, 2013

Karla Dickens

Portrait, inkjet print on cotton rag paper

Gift of the artist 2019. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

George Tjungurrayi, 2007

Greg Weight

Gift of Patrick Corrigan AM 2020. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Henry G. Dan AM

Henry Gibson Dan AM (1929–2020), universally known as Seaman Dan, was a Torres Strait Islander singer/songwriter who grew up on Thursday Island.

1 portrait in the collection

Heath Ledger, Prague, 2000 (printed 2009)

Bruce Weber

Purchased with the assistance of Alan Dodge AM 2009

Matthew Burnett