Elizabeth Durack, an artist in Papua and New Guinea, 1968

Elizabeth Durack (later Durack Clancy), eminent Australian artist, was invited by the Australian Federal Minister for Territories and Minister for External Territories to travel to Papua New Guinea to record images of women as the nation progressed towards independence. She created insightful drawings and photographs together with observations of women, children and the environment within which these major changes were occurring.

The collection of 410 works, 233 of which have never been available to researchers before, has been acquired from Michael Clancy and Perpetua Durack Clancy, trustees of the estate of Elizabeth Durack. All images are available online, together with seven detailed commentaries on the collection and its value to researchers and historians.