Summary

Photographic print from a digital file, featuring a portrait of Alice & Thomas Baker at the Kodak Australasia staff picnic held on 1 November 1922 at the Mornington Recreation Reserve, near the beach, in celebration of the Baker's upcoming European trip.

A specially chartered train departing from Flinders Street took the picnickers to Mornington where they were met by their hosts Thomas and Alice Baker, and enjoyed a picnic lunch, sports programme, a band and dancing, as well as a snapshot photography competition of the day.

Kodak staff were joined for the picnic by staff from other photography retailers including Harringtons, Kett's Photographic Stores, Herbert Small, and Brown's Photographic Stores, as well as returned soldiers from the Anzac Hostel.

A business card on the back of the image suggests that this photograph may have subsequently featured in Kodak factory tours.

Thomas and Alice Baker moved to Melbourne in 1881 where Baker studied medicine at the University of Melbourne. However, he did not finish the degree. Instead, taking advantage of his chemistry expertise, he experimented with making photographic 'dry plates' and in 1884 he established the Austral Plate Company to commercially manufacture these plates. Baker was one of the earliest Australian manufacturers of dry plates, which were developed in the late 1870s. Baker went on to form Baker & Rouse Pty Ltd and later Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd, after a successful merger with Eastman Kodak Company of the USA.

Alice was a significant part of Baker's early business ventures and would travel with Baker on his international trips, including to Eastman Kodak in Rochester in the early days of the merger. Baker continued to lead the factory to great success until his death. Kodak has been a significant manufacturer and distributor of photographic products in Australia, and an important educator in regard to the practice of photography.

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

Portrait of a woman and a man in an outdoor setting with ti-trees behind them. The woman ( left) is wearing a hat with a veil and a long frock coat over a dress and a lace blouse. She is wearing gloves and is holding a piece of paper. The man (right) is wearing a three-piece suit with a bow tie and a felt hat. He has a goatee beard and moustache. He is also holding a piece of paper. They both have a pin on their lapels with two ribbons.

Physical Description

Digital photographic print on medium weight paper, portrait format.

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