Summary

Black and white block mounted photograph of Melbourne's Block Arcade on Collins Street, taken 1912. It is one of eight black and white mounted photographs of Kodak Australasia building exteriors and shop fronts in Australia and New Zealand.

Austral photographic plates and papers were manufactured by Baker & Rouse, a Melbourne-based photographic manufacturer and retailer. Baker & Rouse partnered with Eastman Kodak in 1908 to form Australian Kodak Limited, but still manufactured and sold Austral products under their original name. This photograph was likely taken shortly after Australian Kodak Limited's acquisition of the Block Arcade shop from Baker & Rouse, circa 1908. Prior to this, from 1900-1904 the store was operated by Kodak Limited (London) before it was sold to Baker & Rouse.

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.

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.

Description of Content

Exterior view of the Block Arcade on Collins Street, Melbourne. The Kodak sign is visible in the left window and on the first floor of both sides of the entranceway. There are products on display in the street window, and glass display cases either side of the shop door just inside the Arcade. The sign on the front window lists 'Austral' as a stocked product. Pedestrians can been seen moving along the street and through the arcade entrance.

Physical Description

Black and white block mounted photograph.

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