Photograph for Paddle Shoes advertisement

Maggie Diaz, Photograph for Paddle Shoes advertisement, c 1960s.

Maggie Diaz (born 1925) was already an established photographer when she arrived in Melbourne in 1961 ‘with five dollars American’. She produced work for the Melbourne City Council, Brotherhood of St Laurence and 3AW. Like many of her generation, Maggie was influenced by The Family of Man exhibition, curated by Edward Steichen at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1955.

Detail of machinery photographed for 'The Nilsen Story'

Maggie Diaz, Detail of machinery photographed for The Nilsen Story, c 1960s.

Radio broadcaster, electrical engineer and lord mayor Oliver J Nilsen began his electrical-engineering business in 1916. Maggie Diaz took photographs for a publication on the firm, its operations and its founder, The Nilsen Story. Heinz Grunwald, Alfred Heintz and Mark Strizic also took photographs for this publication.

Peter James, 3AW

Maggie Diaz, Peter James, 3AW, 1964.

Maggie Diaz was a resident photographer at the Melbourne radio station 3AW for two years. In 1964 she was commissioned to take photographs for the station’s new studios. The Age proclaimed: ‘A series of photographs which form part of the interior design of the new 3AW studios in the Southern Cross Garden Plaza are the work of a woman’.

Portrait of model Ushi Huber

Portrait of model Ushi Huber, Maggie Diaz, c 1960s.

Valerie Wittman Ikin at the Caulfield Cup

Norman Ikin, Valerie Wittman Ikin at the Caulfield Cup, 1950.

Norman Ikin (1924– 1962) was trained by Wolfgang Sievers, who described him as a ‘highly gifted fashion photographer’. Ikin was part of Melbourne’s close-knit community of commercial photographers. He worked for Athol Shmith, and established his own studio after landing a lucrative contract with Myer. Ikin died tragically in a car accident just as his career was beginning to flourish.

Portrait of Vali Myers

Norman Ikin, Portrait of Vali Myers, c 1949, gift of Michael Shmith, 2000.

This shot of Vali Myers was taken by Norman Ikin in Wolfgang Sievers’ studio, just before she left Melbourne. At age 19 Myers moved to Paris, where she worked as a dancer and artist and befriended writers like Jean Cocteau and Jean Genet. After living in Italy and New York, Myers returned to Melbourne for the last decade of her life.

Lynn Gough modelling for Myer

Norman Ikin, Lynn Gough modelling for Myer, c 1953-58, private collection, Melbourne.

While advertisements for Myer appeared on an almost daily basis in newspapers during the 1950s, fashion advertisements featuring photographs rather than line drawings were less common. Norman Ikin took this photograph outside the Oriental Hotel on Collins Street. With its footpath café, it was a location favoured by many of Melbourne’s photographers.

Myer advertisement from unknown newspaper

Myer advertisement from unknown newspaper, c 1953–58, photograph by Norman Ikin, private collection, Melbourne.

Workmen putting the finishing touches to rear of amenities block

Helmut Newton, Workmen putting the finishing touches to rear of amenities block, c 1951–54, gift of the Shell Company of Australia, 2005.

The flamboyant Helmut Newton (1920–2004) was an internationally acclaimed fashion photographer. Born Helmut Neustaedter in Berlin, he arrived in Australia in 1940. Newton set up a studio in Flinders Lane, before establishing the influential Helmut Newton & Henry Talbot studio in Bourke Street. He applied his distinct style to theatre portraits, fashion illustration and industrial photography. Newton left Australia permanently in 1961.

Crude distillation unit – tower sections and process pipelines

Helmut Newton, Crude distillation unit – tower sections and process pipelines, c 1951–54, gelatin silver photograph, gift of the Shell Company of Australia, 2005.

Helmut Newton was not known as an industrial photographer. Despite this, he was employed by Shell to document the construction of the Geelong Refinery from 1951 to 1956. Many of these photographs explore the principles of ‘new photography’, characterised by clean lines, a sharp focus and dramatic vantage points, and often showing the workers’ relationship to the industrial landscape.

'More power to Australia'

More power to Australia, Melbourne, Shell Refining (Australia) Pty Ltd, 1954, photographs by Helmut Newton and others.

‘A monument to industrial progress’ is how Shell described the enormous refinery it constructed on a 100-hectare site at Corio Bay, Geelong. More power to Australia was published to commemorate the opening of the refinery, and Helmut Newton’s photographs for the book convey Shell as a modern and progressive company.

The world famous ‘Folies Bergère’ revue

Helmut Newton, The world famous ‘Folies Bergère’ revue, c 1953.

The Tivoli Theatre was known for its vaudeville and revue-style shows, and the Folies Bergère Revue tour of 1952–53 was one of its most sensational and popular. Performers from France and England accompanied the lavish production to Australia. It is likely that the Tivoli commissioned Helmut Newton to take portraits of the performers for a display in the theatre lobby. His images also appeared in various newspapers.

Athol Shmith

Unknown photographer, Athol Shmith, c 1950s, gift of Michael Shmith, 2000.

Athol Shmith’s (1914–90) name is synonymous with style and high society. With a studio on the ‘Paris end’ of Collins Street, Shmith specialised in theatre work, advertising and fashion illustration for clients such as Myer, Holden and Patons. Shmith employed many photographers, including studio co-director Jack Cato. In 1971 he became Head of Photography at the Prahran College of Advanced Education.

Carousel

Carousel, Melbourne, World Record Light Music Club, 1961, photograph by Athol Shmith, gift of Michael Shmith, 2000, © the estate of Athol Shmith, licenced by Kalli Rolfe Contemporary Art.

From small beginnings in Flinders Lane, the Australian branch of the mail-order World Record Club produced more than 3000 album covers between 1960 and 1975. Art director Geoff Digby encouraged artists to produce innovative and creative designs. Athol Shmith was a keen amateur musician with a lifelong interest in record collecting, and he shot photographs for some of the early covers.

Julie Reiter modelling for Patons Bluebell Crepe

Athol Shmith, Julie Reiter modelling for Patons Bluebell Crepe, c 1960s, gift of Michael Shmith, 2000, © the estate of Athol Shmith, licenced by Kalli Rolfe Contemporary Art.

From 1938 Athol Shmith’s principal studio was in the Rue de la Paix building on Collins Street. John Cato joined as a co-director in 1950 and the business flourished, at one time employing 26 staff, including Hans Hasenpflug and Norman Ikin. Shmith’s son Michael recalled tremendous variety: not only fashion and portrait photography, but images of homewares and cars, and ‘countless knitting catalogues’.

Patons Bluebell Crepe

Patons Bluebell Crepe, Patons Book no. 695, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Coats Patons, c 1960s, cover photograph by Athol Shmith, gift of Michael Shmith, 2000, © the estate of Athol Shmith, licenced by Kalli Rolfe Contemporary Art.

Entrance, Savoy Plaza Hotel, Melbourne

Wolfgang Sievers, Entrance, Savoy Plaza Hotel, Melbourne, 1965.

Wolfgang Sievers (1913–2007) is Australia’s pre-eminent industrial photographer, recognised for his internationalist vision and unparalleled understanding of the relationship between arts and industry. Sievers trained in modern photography in Berlin, and immigrated to Australia in 1938. He set up his first Melbourne studio in South Yarra, and after the war opened a studio on Collins Street specialising in architectural and industrial photography.

ICI House, East Melbourne

Wolfgang Sievers, ICI House, East Melbourne, 1958.

ICI House on the corner of Albert and Nicholson Streets was completed in 1958. It was built after height restrictions were lifted, and at 70 metres, it was Melbourne’s first skyscraper. Architect Osborn McCutcheon designed the building in the internationalist style, and it came to symbolise the arrival of modernist architecture in Melbourne. Wolfgang Sievers’ photograph emphasises the scale of the structure, as it towers over the neighbouring buildings.

Ropemaking

Wolfgang Sievers, Ropemaking, Milller Rope, Brunswick, 1962.

Wolfgang Sievers’ inscription on the reverse of the photograph reads: ‘This image shows the dignity of man as a worker and does express best what I have believed in, and the essence as well of my Bauhaus training.’

'The James Miller Story'

The James Miller Story, Brunswick, Victoria, James Miller & Co., c 1962, photography by Wolfgang Sievers, La Trobe Studios, Peter Bage & Guus Van Der Heyde.

The James Miller Story was published to celebrate the company's centenary. It was for this publication that Wolfgang Sievers took his now iconic photograph of an employee pulling a large coil of rope, which has come to symbolise what Sievers describes as the ‘dignity of man as worker’. It has been reproduced widely since 1962, while the publication itself remains largely unknown.

Teak easy chair

Mark Strizic, Teak easy chair designed and manufactured by Schulim Krimper, 1959, gift of Bill Bowness, 2008.

Mark Strizic (born 1928) was raised in Croatia and arrived in Australia in 1950. He established a career as an architectural photographer, collaborating with the modernist architect Robin Boyd, and furniture designers including Schulim Krimper and Fred Lowen. Strizic featured regularly in journals such as Architecture Today and Vogue Living throughout his long and successful career.

'Krimper'

Krimper, Melbourne, National Gallery of Victoria, 1959, photographs by Mark Strizic, © National Gallery of Victoria.

Schulim Krimper is regarded as Australia’s most significant furniture maker of the postwar period. Mark Strizic recalls the bond that formed between the two émigré artists while working on Krimper’s retrospective exhibition: ‘[It] was only when the first photographs were printed that he opened up, spoke warmly and smiled. Through my photography of his exquisite furniture he knew how much his work was appreciated.’

Living room of Robin Boyd's residence

Mark Strizic, Living room of Robin Boyd's residence, 1960.

Robin Boyd

Mark Strizic, Robin Boyd, 1970.

In 1958, Mark Strizic was introduced to architect Robin Boyd, Australia’s leading practitioner of modern architecture, and he soon began photographing Boyd’s projects. As an educator, Boyd advocated the value of good design, the need for design to reflect contemporary Australian lifestyles, and the relationship between the built environment and nature. Boyd and Strizic collaborated on a book, Living in Australia, published in 1970.

Printing equipment

Dacre Stubbs, Printing equipment, Kodak Australasia, c 1951, gift of Martin Stubbs, 2005.

Raised in Yorkshire, England, Dacre Stubbs (1910–2001) worked as a staff photographer for the BBC. In 1948 he moved to Australia and found work photographing migrants for the Department of Information. Stubbs specialised in advertising and car photography and established a number of successful commercial photography studios in Melbourne. With an interest in anthropology, Stubbs and his wife Pauline, a writer, were regular contributors to journals including Walkabout.

Kodak catalogue

Kodak catalogue, Melbourne, Kodak Australasia, 1959, photograph by Dacre Stubbs.

Shortly after arriving in Australia, Dacre Stubbs established a commercial photographic studio in Kew, where his business prospered. Stubbs subsequently set up a studio in Elwood and another in South Melbourne under the name Photo & Design Group. His clients included Volkswagen, General Motors Holden, Commonwealth Sugar Refinery (CSR), Tupperware and Kodak.

Measuring jug

Dacre Stubbs, Measuring jug, Kodak Australasia, c 1951, gift of Martin Stubbs, 2005.

Brownie 8mm movie camera

Dacre Stubbs, Brownie 8mm movie camera, Kodak Australasia, c 1951, gift of Martin Stubbs, 2005.

Photograph for Brooks Brothers advertisement

Henry Talbot, Photograph for Brooks Brothers advertisement, 1967, gift of Henry Talbot 1974–75, with permission from Lynette Anne Talbot.

Henry Talbot (1920–1999) was an award-winning fashion photographer, recognised for his inventive use of locations. Born Heinz Tichauer in Hindenberg, Germany, he arrived in Australia in 1940 on the Dunera. He became friends with Helmut Newton while volunteering for the Australian military, and together they established one of Melbourne’s most successful photographic studios. Talbot was a major contributor to Vogue magazine.

Photograph for Brooks Brothers advertisement

Henry Talbot, Photograph for Brooks Brothers advertisement, 1967, gift of Henry Talbot 1974–75, with permission from Lynette Anne Talbot.

The exclusive New York fashion House Brook Brothers began to make sportswear for ‘young sophisticates’ in the 1950s, and this younger generation rapidly became an important market in the garment industry. Henry Talbot took pride in keeping abreast of the contemporary trends in fashion. In this photograph Talbot conveys his client’s desire to promote what he called a ‘with it’ image to the Australian market.

Photograph for Holeproof advertisement

Henry Talbot, Photograph for Holeproof advertisement, 1962, gift of Henry Talbot 1974-75, with permission from Lynette Anne Talbot.

The association of a pair of sheer stockings with glamour and romance is unmistakable in this tableau, which was shot on location at Melbourne’s Walnut Tree restaurant. Fashion photographer Bruno Benini is the model in the background of this shot. He also modelled for Helmut Newton and Athol Shmith, and commented later: ‘I wasn’t a very good model. I did it so I could learn from them!’

Promotional photograph for the Australian Wool Board

Henry Talbot, Promotional photograph for the Australian Wool Board, 1964, gift of Henry Talbot 1974–75, with permission from Lynette Anne Talbot.

The promotion of wool went into top gear in the late 50s to compete with the popularity of synthetic fibres. The Helmut Newton & Henry Talbot studio landed a lucrative contract with the Australian Wool Bureau, and in 1959 relocated to the basement of the bureau’s building on Bourke Street. This promotional photograph for a trade mission to Asia was taken onboard the Centaur.