Born in Sydney, Norman Cathcart Deck (1882–1980) was introduced to photography by his brother in 1894, and in 1896 he became the youngest ever member of the Photographic Society of New South Wales. He maintained an active photographic practice alongside his career as a dentist and a period of missionary work in the Solomon Islands from 1914 until his retirement in 1948. Deck was a regular exhibitor and lecturer at the Photographic Society of New South Wales. He was widely published and gained recognition for his technical proficiency, as well as his ability to work within the pictorialist style, a style he remained loyal to long after it had gone out of fashion in Australia. Deck won numerous awards for his photographs, and in 1921 was made an honorary member of the Sydney Camera Circle. Many of Deck’s original prints were lost, so he reprinted his negatives in retirement using different materials.

(2023)