A groundbreaking new book showcases 250 striking photographs from Australia's legendary PIX magazine, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the nation's social and cultural evolution from 1932 to 1972. Edited by Margot Riley from the State Library of New South Wales, "PIX: The Magazine that Told Australia's Story" presents era-defining images that reshaped Australian photojournalism and captivated readers with compelling stories spanning fashion, politics, science, and entertainment.
The collection reveals PIX magazine's revolutionary approach to visual storytelling, documenting everything from dramatic weather events to intimate human moments. One striking photograph from November 30, 1940, captures a Sydney pedestrian attempting to leap across a flooded roadway at the intersection of Bathurst and George streets during a flash summer storm, demonstrating how extreme weather made for newsworthy pictures then just as it does today. Another memorable image shows railway workers crossing train tracks on the Victorian side of the New South Wales border in September 1946, highlighting the technical challenges of Australia's different rail gauges when NSW was establishing its standard.
The magazine's photographers documented Australia's vibrant entertainment scene and social life with remarkable creativity. A 1938 photograph features a "headless" woman posing on a beach with her friend in a photography trick known as "horsemaning," an optical illusion technique that created the appearance of beheading before the advent of Photoshop and modern special effects technology. The collection also includes images of Sydney Harbor yachting parties, such as one from October 17, 1939, showing Sydney model Adelie Hurley and her friend Freda Larsson enjoying a weekend outing. Adelie, daughter of renowned photographer Frank Hurley, followed in her father's footsteps to become Australia's most prominent female photographer of her era.
PIX magazine particularly excelled at capturing Australia's diverse cultural landscape and unconventional characters. The archives include photographs of Nellie Small, a popular Australian male impersonator, jazz and blues singer, and comic performer at Sammy Lee's nightclub in Sydney on June 12, 1949. Another fascinating image shows tattooed lady Betty Broadbent in 1938, representing the magazine's frequent coverage of women who defied social expectations. These marginalized figures, often visual canvases in their own right, made compelling human interest subjects that were ideal for tabloid coverage.
The collection documents significant technological and scientific advances of the atomic age. A remarkable 1957 photograph shows a "Master-Slave manipulator," a mechanical marvel designed for precise remote handling of radioactive materials, being demonstrated at the NSW University of Technology (now University of NSW) in Kensington. The image captures the machine's large mechanical hands carefully applying lipstick to Sydney model Barbara Sheraton, perfectly illustrating the era's fascination with atomic-age technology.
PIX photographers also captured Australia's agricultural heritage and immigrant communities with equal attention to detail. A 1944 photograph shows farmer Linda Maldon, age 23, on her family's 900-hectare sheep and wheat property at Spring Ridge, NSW. The magazine documented the Italian fishing community at Ulladulla, 240 kilometers south of Sydney, which consisted of six families in 1940, most having lived in Australia for more than 18 years. One image shows fishermen A. Lavalle, Captain A. Bagnato, P. Bagnato, and D. Lavalle hauling in a heavy catch on August 30, 1940.
The archives reveal PIX's commitment to documenting Australia's post-war immigration story. A poignant 1950 photograph shows Latvian immigrants 10-year-old Dzintra Ulms and 14-year-old Benita Straubergs in traditional dress at the Uranquinty migrant accommodation center near Wagga Wagga, NSW. The magazine also covered natural disasters extensively, including devastating floods at Riverstone, NSW in November 1961, where more than 70 homes were inundated and over 360 people evacuated during the worst flooding in years.
The collection captures intimate family moments and architectural innovations that defined Australian life. A 1944 photograph shows a woman with her 10 children in Blackheath, NSW, while another documents children enjoying freshly shucked oysters from Lewis's oyster farm on the Georges River at Woolooware Bay in June 1956. The Lewis family maintained a longstanding commercial association with oyster farming in the area from 1935. Architecturally, the collection includes the concrete Jobson house, perched on a clifftop in Bayview, Sydney, with sweeping views over Pittwater, designed in the early 1960s by architect Stan Symonds and officially named Mystere, though neighbors affectionately called it "The Egg and I."
PIX magazine's photographers captured the changing face of Australian entertainment and media. A significant 1962 photograph shows Yorta Yorta man, singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimmy Little being interviewed by Australian rock and roll singer Johnny O'Keefe for his show on Sydney's ATN-7 station. The magazine also documented fashion trends, including a wide-brimmed version of the beehive hat designed to fit the 1960s high-rise hairstyle, modeled at Circular Quay in September 1967 with the overseas passenger terminal, an ocean liner, and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.
Among the collection's most charming images is a 1943 photograph of American actress and dancer Muriel Gardiner sharing breakfast in bed with pet koala Teddy, who nibbles dry toast while Gardiner was appearing with her husband Marvin Kane at Sydney's Tivoli Theatre. Another endearing workplace photograph from 1948 shows Jim Morling, 19, the youngest employee at Meggitt's linseed oil factory in Gladesville, with his special companion, a galah he had found exhausted near the mill after working there for three years.
The book, priced at $69.99 and published by NewSouth Books, represents a comprehensive archive of Australian life during a transformative 40-year period. Through the lens of PIX magazine's photographers, including notable figures like Ray Olson, Ray Wolfe, Ivan Ive, Norman Herfort, and Bob Donaldson, the collection preserves moments that defined Australia's national character and social evolution, making it an invaluable resource for understanding the country's photojournalistic heritage and cultural history.
