About this record

This is a black-and-white portrait photograph of the famous Australian artist, sculptor, illustrator and author, Norman Lindsay, when he was aged 66. It was taken by the Department of Information, later known as the Australian News and Information Bureau.

Educational value

• Norman Lindsay (1879–1969), one of Australia's most prolific artists of the early 20th century, was known as an illustrator, cartoonist, art critic, novelist, painter and sculptor. His depictions of voluptuous naked women were highly controversial. By 1945 when this picture was taken, his output included black-and-white etchings, oil and watercolour paintings, sculptures, ship models and many literary works.
• Lindsay was largely a self-taught artist, beginning in childhood when he was confined to the house as a result of an illness and would copy out illustrations from books or draw items around the house. He was the fourth of ten children in a highly talented family of artists and writers from Creswick in Victoria, and his grandfather particularly encouraged his interest in art by taking him to the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
• Lindsay adopted a bohemian lifestyle in Melbourne while being a 'ghost artist' for his brother, Lionel Arthur Lindsay (1874–1961), who was working for the Hawklet magazine. The Lindsay brothers and their friends rented rooms together, and to find copy for their drawings visited theatres, music halls, prize fights and the courts. After Lionel left for Western Australia, Norman was employed by the Hawklet before moving to Sydney in 1901 as an artist for the Bulletin magazine, which he contributed to for more than 50 years.
• Lindsay wrote and published a diverse range of short stories, children's books, novels (one of which was banned under censorship laws in the 1930s) and books on art and life, but it is his children's classic The magic pudding (1918) for which he is best remembered. It has been in print ever since first publication, is one of Australia's most loved stories and is now regarded as an Australian classic.
• The timing of this portrait photograph in 1945 coincided with the publication of two books by Lindsay – the non-fiction Paintings in oil and a novel, The cousin from Fiji. By this stage in his life, as well as being a writer, Lindsay had established a reputation as a skilful illustrator for newspapers and magazines and also as a sculptor and painter. His interest in writing was strengthened in the 1940s when he enthusiastically supported a thriving national literary movement.