Summary

Portrait of Edgar Rouse during his service in World War I, taken by renowned Australian photographer Henry Walter Barnett in his Hyde Park Studios, London, February - May 1918.

Edgar had enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 8 May 1917. He was despatched to the UK between February and May 1918, but returned to Australia after suffering influenza and tuberculosis. He arrived home in July and was discharged shortly after due to illness.

Back in Australia, Edgar joined his father in business at Kodak Australasia later in 1918, having already worked for Kodak before the war. He subsequently became Kodak's Managing Director in Melbourne in 1928 when Thomas Baker died, then became chairman of directors of Kodak Australasia in 1938 when he succeeded his father John Joseph (JJ) Rouse. His father had been a co-founder of Baker & Rouse and later a founding managing director of Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd.

The photographer of this portrait, Henry Walter Barnett, was an old friend of Edgar's father JJ Rouse who had previously had a studio in Australia. (See HT 48853 and HT 48854).

Description of Content

Man in Australian Imperial Force uniform, wearing hat and holding fur-lined gloves. He has a pince nez clip on the bridge of his nose but no lenses are visible in the photograph.

Physical Description

Digital file. Digital copy of an original photographic portrait which was sepia toned, portrait orientation, mounted on thick cream card with embossed studio logo at bottom.

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