A History of Photography – Three-week course at National Gallery Victoria

‘From its invention in the nineteenth century to its digital ubiquity today, photography has always had innovation, technical skill and experimentation at its core. Photography is a powerful medium and visual language that shapes the ways we see, understand and remember the world around us.

This introductory three-week course provides a foundational understanding of photography history.

Developed and facilitated by RMIT University’s Professor Daniel Palmer with the NGV, the course enables a close study of internationally significant works in the NGV Collection of photography – Australia’s first art museum to introduce a dedicated photography collection in 1967 – to consider and analyse the history of, and key people, contexts and moments, in photography. The course will introduce participants to key artists including Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Max Dupain, Olive Cotton, Nan Goldin, Tracey Moffatt, and Jeff Wall, among others.

In completing this course, participants will be equipped with foundational skills to understand, analyse and discuss Australian and international photography. The course is ideal for photography enthusiasts or anyone looking to expand or deepen their art history knowledge, with a focus on the powerful and varied medium of photography.’ NGV website

Photograph above: Dorothea LANGE Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California 1936; (c.1975) {printed}
gelatin silver photograph 49.4 x 39.6 cm. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

NGV International – Melbourne 11 & 18 April & 2 May 2026