Max Dupain has produced some iconic images of Australia, and his photographs are often shown in art galleries. Less well-known is the fact that a large collection of his work is held by the National Archives.

Throughout his career, Dupain ran a commercial photography business, specialising in commissions for the Australian Government and large corporations. Frequently, his images were used to promote immigration, trade and investment. Dupain worked for three main agencies: the Department of Information in the 1940s, the Australian Broadcasting Commission in the 1950s and 1960s, and the Department of Trade in the 1960s and 1970s. Their photographic archives are now in the National Archives.

This showcase accompanies the National Archives exhibition, Max Dupain on Assignment. A catalogue is available in the shop.

Images below are linked to enlargement pages, from where you can download a high-resolution image. Please acknowledge the National Archives of Australia if you reproduce any of these photographs – download captions (PDF 202kb).