Summary

Black and white silver gelatin photograph of the Kodak Australasia factory in Abbotsford when the Yarra River was in flood in 1934. The photograph shows the impact of the flood on the Kodak factory.

This image was taken from a high angled position looking north across the Yarra River, most likely from a window at the back of the multi-story Paper Coating Building, between the distilled water tank tower and the chimney. Staff can be seen on nearby roofs of the Kodak buildings dealing with the flooding.

The Yarra River was prone to flooding, and despite major works designed to manage water flow in the 1920s, the river still experienced a major flood in November 1934. Such floods caused damage to the Kodak factory and potentially washed away into the river some of the materials and chemicals that were used in the manufacturing process.

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

The photograph shows a river in flood and factory buildings partly submerged in the water. The image is framed on either side by curved brick buildings. In the mid-ground are low lying buildings made from timber and metal sheeting, with the rooves a prominent feature of the image. Five men are on the roof of one of the buildings. A building to the far right has signage partially showing, saying "CHROM".The background shows the opposite bank of the river, featuring a sloping area of grass and trees. In the foreground, trees and fences are submerged by the rising water.

Physical Description

Black and white gelatin photograph, printed on light weight paper, portrait format with a white border.

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