Summary

Black and white, sepia toned photograph of fifteen men posed for a staff group portrait at the Kodak Australasia factory in Abbotsford, Victoria, March 1947.

At the centre of the first row is Cliff Wilson.

The Abbotsford factory was initially the site of the Austral Plate Company, created by Thomas Baker, a pharmaceutical chemist, in 1884. After Baker went into partnership with accountant, John Rouse, to develop the photographic manufacturing company, Baker and Rouse Pty Ltd, they proposed a merger with Eastman Kodak in 1907. In 1908, Australian Kodak Limited was formed and evolved to become what is known today as Kodak Australasia. The Abbotsford site remained the base for the operations of Kodak Australasia until the late 1950s.

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

Fifteen men posed in a garden setting with a wire fence behind them, possibly a tennis court fence. Eight men are standing at the back, and seven men are sitting on a bench at the front. Many of those seated and two of the men standing are wearing laboratory coats.

Physical Description

Black and white silver gelatin photograph with sepia toning, printed on medium weight paper with a white border, landscape format.

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