North West photographer’s rise in focus
The work of a good photographer can reach far and wide, but rarely do we know about the person behind the lens.
When it comes to photographic men of mystery, few stand out more than early 20th century photographer Ernest Lund Mitchell.
Born an Englishman, E.L. Mitchell spent years in the early 1900s photographing the rugged North West.
His photos have become the go-to pictures for historical storytelling in the North West, but little is known about the man himself.
It was this mystery that spurred former State Library of WA pictorial curator Joanna Sassoon to research and record the life of Mitchell. “When I was working as a curator, I noticed people were always using his photographs, drawn to his, above all others on similar subject matters,” she said.
“What struck me though was that nobody knew anything about him as a person. I started to try find information about him, but there wasn’t an awful lot out there.”
It was not until Ms Sassoon received her late grandfather’s Encyclopedia Britannica that the wheels for her newly released book on the decorated photographer were put in motion.
“I was just hooked by the idea that his photos had got into such an international publication,” she said. “I found his photos travelled to key collections in London and New York, and they must have got to other places around the world because I found his photos used in an Italian book about Australia, a Russian travel manual and lots of English language books.
Ms Sassoon has spent more than 25 years tracking down his surviving family, read his letters home and discovering previously unknown caches of photographs and glass negatives in private and public collections across the world.
As a result of this detective work, Ms Sassoon Joanna has been able to chart Mitchell’s rise from his struggles as a migrant in New South Wales and Queensland to becoming the governors’ photographer in WAestern Australia.
While several photographers visited the North West, Ms Sassoon said Mitchell was one of few who took quality photos which stood the test of time.“He actually took photographs for about 10 years up and down Queensland and New South Wales before coming to the north of WA in about 1909.
“Those photos he took up there are some of his most highly used works.
“His photographs of the pearling industry for instance have become the go to for the industry.”
Ms Sasson’s book contains a large selection of Mitchell’s work, as well as an insight into the man behind the lens so few have ever heard about.
Insights into Mitchell’s life include how he came to be in Australia as a child due to his father’s asthma, his relationship with WA’s political elite and the unfortunate circumstances in which he gave up photography.
The book reveals who Mitchell was and why he succeeded above his competitors.
It showcases more than 200 of Mitchell’s photographs from across WA alongside previously unknown work in NSW and Queensland and Indonesia.
Agents of Empire: How E.L. Mitchell’s photographs shaped Australia is available for purchase through Australian Scholarly Publishing or can be ordered through bookshops.
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