Shot

Visit our new underground photography gallery and follow the fascinating journey of the photographic image in Australia. 

Shot delves into the State Library’s extraordinary collection of two million images and delivers a visual feast of 400 captivating moments – many displayed for the first time – with nearly every photographic format and every year between 1845 and 2022 represented. 

The exhibition features Australia’s oldest photograph, the earliest examples of colour photography, iconic works by some of our most acclaimed photographers and contemporary images and commentary by over 30 living photographers. 

On display for the first time are 25 large glass plate negatives from the Holtermann collection which form an astonishing 9-metre panorama of Sydney in 1875. 

Due to the delicate nature of numerous works, this may be the first and only time to see some of these rare images of Australia’s pictorial history on display.