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Photography & War

The National Library’s holdings of World War I photographic material, though small, are particularly rich. They enable the construction of narratives that give very different perspectives on the war—both at home, and overseas on the battlefields in Turkey and France. The story of war is personalised through the plethora of items of a personal nature, such as a soldier’s portrait or his album of snapshots embellished with his own handwritten inscriptions.

Frank Hurley’s exalted images of battle scenes in Flanders contrast with far less heroic photographs by amateur and unknown Photographers. Hurley combined different negatives to produce his composite prints with their masterful compositions and dramatic cloud-filled skies. Alternatively, J.P. Campbell’s snapshots are very modest in comparison, giving a soldier’s view of the rituals and dangers of daily life in the trenches at Gallipoli.

 

Introduction
1860s and 1870s
A love of order
Panoramas
Photography & war
Communities
A people's history