Bennelong, a Wangal man of the Eora nation, was among the first Aboriginal people to travel to Europe and return. As a crucial interlocutor between his people and the British colonists, he navigated two worlds but the way he was depicted in colonial portraits raises complex questions. In one, he appears in traditional body paint. In another, years later, he is dressed in European clothing, his identity seemingly reshaped for a colonial gaze. Do these portraits tell us more about Bennelong or the people who painted him?
Portraiture has long been a tool of empire, used to categorize, control, and mythologize. But can these images also reveal Indigenous agency? In this first episode, historians Kate Fullagar and Michael McDonnell visit the National Portrait Gallery to examine Bennelong’s likeness and trace a broader history of representation. They are joined by Anishinaabe writer Gordon Henry, who reflects on 17th-century depictions of Indigenous North Americans, and Cherokee scholar Joseph Pierce, who challenges the sanitized portrait of Cherokee diplomat Ostenaco.
Who really controls the stories that portraits tell? And how do these images continue to shape our understanding of Indigenous identity today? Join us on Unsettling Portraits to find out.
Episode Images
Drawing 41 from the Watling Collection titled 'Native name Ben-nel-long, as painted when angry after Botany Bay Colebee was wounded.’ By Thomas Watling c 1790. Courtesy Natural History Museum London.
Portrait of a Famous One-eyed Man
By Louis Nicolas, 1675. Codex Canadensis, page 14. Courtesy Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma USA.
Portrait of Syacust Ukah, Cherokee Chief
By Joshua Reynolds, 1762. Courtesy Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma USA.
Hosts
Kate Fullagar, professor of history at the Australian Catholic University and Vice President of the Australian Historical Association, specializes in eighteenth-century world history, particularly the British Empire and Indigenous resistance. In her role at the AHA, she advocates for truth-telling in Australian historiography, working to integrate Indigenous perspectives and confront colonial legacies. Through works like Bennelong & Phillip, she engages both academic and general audiences, challenging traditional narratives.
Michael McDonnell, professor of Early American History at the University of Sydney, is currently working on several research projects with collaborators, including studies on comparative Indigenous experiences of empire, the American Revolution’s role in Black American life, and memoirs of lower-class Revolutionary War veterans. His work highlights the value of history in fostering diverse perspectives and uncovering new insights about both the past and present.
Guests
Gordon Henry is a member of the White Earth Anishinaabe Nation in Minnesota, USA and was professor of English at Michigan State University for 29 years. A widely published essayist, poet and fiction writer, he won the American Book Award for is novel The Light People. His creative work focuses on American Indian survival and adaptability, offering different Indigenous ways of relating to American history.
Joseph Pierce is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and associate professor in the department of Hispanic Languages and Literature at Stony Brook University. His research focuses on the intersections of kinship, gender, sexuality, and race in Latin America, as well as culture, queer and Indigenous studies. Along with SJ Norman (Koori, Wiradjuri descent) he is co-curator of the performance series and indigenous-led gathering space Knowledge of Wounds.
Credits
Producers: Catherine Freyne and Helene Thomas.
Story Editor: Siobhan McHugh
Sound Engineer: Martin Peralta
Production support: Jane Curtis, Britta Jorgensen and Celine Teo-Blockey
Additional tile design and podcast artwork: Alexandra Morris
Executive Producer: Sarah Gilbert
History Lab is an Impact Studios podcast.
To cite this episode
Fullagar, K (researcher and host), Freyne, C (producer), McDonnell, M (researcher and host), Thomas, H (producer) (2025), 'Unsettling Portraits' Episode 1. In History Lab by Impact Studios, https://impactstudios.edu.au/podcasts/history-lab/s6/ and 10.5281/zenodo.15086322