Summary

Photograph of workshop buildings in flood in the Kodak Australasia factory in Abbotsford, Victoria, 1934. To the right of the image is a river pump to draw water from the Yarra in case of fire. This photograph was donated by Max Myers. Both he and his father Jim worked as plumbing foreman at the Kodak factory, and this photograph is documenting the flood damage in their work area.

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. 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.

Description of Content

Flooded area outside corrugated iron and timber buildings with equipment half submerged in flood waters. Tree and water pump at right of image with a sign on the wall saying "RIVER PUMP / FIRE COUPLING".

Physical Description

Sepia-toned photograph, landscape format, with white border.

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