Axel Poignant (b. England 1906; a. Australia 1926; d. England 1986) was raised in England and Sweden before migrating to Australia in 1926. He settled in Perth in 1930 and began to pursue his interest in photography. From 1930 to 1934 he worked as a freelance photographer, specialising in portraits, particularly of children. In 1935 he became interested in documentary photography and produced his first photo-essay. Throughout his career, Poignant made several trips to remote areas of Australia and documented the outback as well as Indigenous communities. He worked on films, produced multiple photo-essays and published a number of children’s books, which featured his photographs. Poignant returned to England in 1956.

(2015)