Summary

Black and white silver gelatin photograph of the Yarra River in flood at the Kodak Australasia factory in Abbotsford, Victoria, 1934.

This photograph was probably taken from a high position on the Powerhouse building which is on the far eastern side of the factory, most likely on the water tank structure. The photographer is looking towards the Yarra River and Studley Park.

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

Photograph features a multi-storeyed brick building to the left, with pipes running horizontally along the outside of the building. Flood waters are apparent in the background and foreground of the image. The foliage of a tree extends from the bottom right hand corner into the mid-ground of the image.

Physical Description

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

More Information