Henry Aloysius Hanke Self-portrait

The awarding of the 1934 Archibald Prize to Henry Hanke was surprising.

The painting was the first self-portrait to win the prize, and Hanke had depicted himself in his down-on-his-luck workman’s clothes. Not for the first time, questions were raised regarding the interpretation of the competition conditions: could Hanke be considered a ‘distinguished’ portrait subject?

A little-known artist, aged just 33, Hanke struggled to survive and support his family during the Great Depression, with his only source of income a series of odd jobs and the government welfare program known as ‘sustenance relief’. For his Archibald painting, he ground his own pigments, re-used a donated frame and, unable to afford a model, looked in the mirror. The portrait took just eight hours to complete.

When interviewed about Hanke’s win, his former tutor JS Watkins responded: ‘When Hanke came to me eight or nine years ago, the one outstanding quality I recognised in him was his serious determination to make good – his intense power of application, and his willingness to tackle hard work’.

Hanke’s pluckiness and perseverance in winning the Archibald offered a story of hope for many Australians during the Depression. The portrait went on a celebratory national tour, with people flocking to locations around the country to catch a glimpse of the work.