POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Notes

This is one of many negatives in the Powerhouse Museum's David Mist photography archive, and one of two 5 x 4 inch line negatives Sydney photographer David Mist took of a female torso in polka dot undies for use as end papers in his 'Made in Australia' photography book of 1969 designed by Barbara Tilzey, and published by Paul Hamlyn. On 30 August 2013, I asked David about the shot: AMVdV: David, what did you have in mind when choosing this shot for the end papers of your book? It looks a bit cheeky. DM: It was cheeky alright. I thought it was bottoms, which is the end or bottom of the book. AMVdV: You describe the image as a 'line negative'. How does this work? DM: It's what's known as a line drop out. Line film doesn't hold half tones, it only holds black and white. You start off with a positive, end up with a negative, and then you print it. AMVdV: When and why did you decide to produce a book about what wordsmith Len Evans describes as 'Australian bird life (the non-feathered variety)'? DM: After having seen the John Green 'Birds of Britain' book, I thought we could have 'Birds of Australia' and Paul Hamlyn, the publisher, liked the idea. It also came in response to the emerging nationalism I'd witnessed in Britain before I came out to Australia in 1961. Anne-Marie Van de Ven, Curator, 2 September 2013