Item MM 144690 Photograph - Baker & Rouse Pty Ltd, Austral Laboratory at Yarra Grange, Abbotsford, Victoria, circa 1886-1895

Summary

Black and white photograph showing the Austral Laboratory at Yarra Grange, Abbotsford circa 1886-1895, viewed from across the street.

This building was part of the Austral Plate Company photographic plate factory site. Thomas Baker, a pharmaceutical chemist, established this business on his residential property, Yarra Grange in 1884. In 1886 the new Austral Laboratory building was completed. In 1887, under the partnership name Baker and Rouse, this company was owned by Thomas Baker and accountant, John Rouse. In 1908 the company and factory site was bought and operated by Kodak. In the late 1950s Kodak moved from Abbotsford to a new factory site at Coburg on the northern outskirts of Melbourne.

This image was donated by the family of Ian 'Charlie' Yelland, who worked for Kodak Australasia Emulsion Department for 46 years, retiring in 1978.

This image complements the Kodak Heritage 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

Three storey brick building fenced off with wooden picket fence. Another small one storey building to the back of it.Street light and electricity pole to the right and road with bluestone gutter in front of the building. Houses visible in the right background. Trees to the left background.

Physical Description

Black and white photograph, landscape orientation with white border.