William James Mildenhall (1891-1962) photographed construction of the new Australian capital, Canberra, during its development in the 1920s and 1930s.

Mildenhall was a Commonwealth public servant, initially employed as paymaster in the Department of Works & Railways, he later became the Information Officer for the Federal Capital Commission in 1926.

Mildenhall had seen the need to officially document the growing national capital in photographs, and offered his services to the Department of Works & Railways in 1921; an offer which was readily accepted.

He often took photographs in his own time, and on an ad hoc basis alongside his full-time clerical position, continuing in this role until 1935, when complaints concerning his monopolisation of departmental photography resulted in an inquiry that forced the arrangement to be discontinued.

External links

• http://mildenhall.moadoph.gov.au/Discovering Mildenhall's Canberra, Museum of Australian Democracy, Canberra
  Canberra
  Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
  
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• http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an11030057Mildenhall collection of photographs of Canberra, National Library of Australia
  National Library of Australia
  The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
  
  , Canberra
  Canberra
  Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
  
   ]
• http://www.naa.gov.au/Publications/fact_sheets/FS222.htmlFact Sheet 222: Mildenhall Photographic Collection, National Archives of Australia
  National Archives of Australia
  The National Archives of Australia is a body established by the Government of Australia for the purpose of preserving Commonwealth Government records. It is an Executive Agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and reports to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig.The national...
  
  , Canberra
  Canberra
  Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
  
  ]