Black, White + Colour

A Biography of Mervyn Bishop Australia's First Indigenous Professional Photographer

By: Tim Dobbyn

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Hardcover | 1 October 2025

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Hardcover
208 Pages

Hardcover

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This illustrated biography of one of Australias treasured artists offers an intimate portrait of the struggles and triumphs of Mervyn Bishop, Australias ground-breaking Indigenous photographer.

Born in Brewarrina NSW in 1945, he used chance, charm and talent to join the staff of the Sydney Morning Herald at just 17. He won a top news photography award but never received the customary pay increase. Disillusioned, Bishop moved to Canberra as a government photographer and took the iconic photo of Gough Whitlam pouring earth into the hands of traditional owner Vincent Lingiari. He later returned to Sydney and was eventually befriended by the arts scene, leading to his first solo exhibition in 1991. But this victory was clouded by the death of his wife on the day of the opening. While often celebrated for chronicling the rising visibility of Indigenous Australians, Bishop is also proud of what he calls his âWhitefella picturesâ. He carved his own path, deftly navigating the Black and White worlds of post-war Australia.

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