Summary
Black and white silver gelatin photograph of the exterior of the Kodak factory in Abbotsford, Victoria, circa 1930s (before 1948).
The foreground of this photograph shows the staff gardens, featuring garden beds, trees, lawn and garden seats. This area was close to the canteen, the low fibro and timber building at the right, where staff took their breaks. To the left of the photograph, part of the maintenance workshops are visible. This was where the electricians worked. To the right the Power House chimney is visible. This was the second chimney and was probably built in the 1930s. The Power House provided all of the power and refrigeration for the Kodak factory. Further to the right is the Paper Coating Building where photographic paper was coated and photographic emulsions were manufactured. The tank visible on the top of the tower of this building contained distilled water which was used in manufacturing.
Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers, as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.
This photograph is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005, when the Melbourne manufacturing plant at Coburg closed down.
Description of Content
Photograph of the exterior of a factory. The photograph features factory buildings with two tall chimneys in the background, and a garden setting with garden beds, trees, lawn and garden seats in the foreground.
Physical Description
Black and white silver gelatin photograph, printed on heavy weight paper, landscape format with a white border.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Ms. Kate Metcalf - Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, 2005
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Acknowledgement
Courtesy of Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd.
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Place & Date Depicted
Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1930-1948
According to the inscription, the photograph was taken prior to the Plate Department being built on this site in 1948, (although former Kodak executives Ed Woods and John Mitchan thought this building was constructed earlier than 1948) but was after the second chimney was constructed, and there are no tanks next to the canteen. Curatorial research and donor information suggests that the second chimney was probably built in the 1930s. -
Organisation Depicted
Kodak (Australasia) Pty Ltd, Abbotsford, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1930-1948
According to the inscription, the photograph was taken prior to the Plate Department being built on this site in 1948, but was after the second chimney was constructed, and there are no tanks next to the canteen. Curatorial research and donor information suggests that the second chimney was probably built in the 1930s. -
Format
Photograph, Black & White
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Inscriptions
Back, handwritten, pencil: 'Date unknown - 2nd Chimney erected / - No Plate Dept / No tanks beside Canteen (fibro cement / panelled and weatherboard building in right hand middle / ground. / Fibro cement / weather board building on L.H. side was part / of maintenance shops (electricians)'
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Classification
Manufacturing & industry, Photographic products, Factory exterior views
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Image Dimensions - Photograph
210 mm (Width), 163 mm (Height)
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Keywords
Buildings, Canteens, Chimneys, Factories, Gardens, Manufacturing Plants, Photography, Trees, Making History - Kodak Collection