Summary

Black and white, silver gelatin photograph of a view of a Kodak factory yard and buildings in Abbotsford, Victoria, circa 1951.

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

Photograph is taken from ground level and angled upwards. The image consists of two brick buildings and a factory yard. There are three factory workers in the yard, two are operating a piece of equipment in an area surrounded with pieces of stone and brick. The third worker is standing in the yard, holding a rope and facing the camera. The rope is connected to a pulley system that is hoisting a large crate up the side of one of the buildings. The crate is being lifted up to a first storey open window along a steel ladder contraption.

Physical Description

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

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