Summary

Photograph of the Kodak Australasia factory in Abbotsford, 1952.

This photograph shows the Yarra River in flood, as the floodwater is receding. Debris from the flood is evident in the mid-ground of the image, with planks of timber collecting along the tree-line. The sheds made of aluminium sheeting are still partially underwater.

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 and again in July 1952. 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 is taken from the bank of the river on the factory side. The flood water appears to be receding with debris such as timber collecting along the tree-line in the mid-ground of the photograph. In the foreground, to the left, a fence is partially visible and there are power lines running across the top of the image. Piles of sand and rock are in the foreground to the left. In the mid-ground there are sheds made from aluminium sheeting, partially submerged by flood water.

Physical Description

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

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