Summary
Black and white 5" x 4" negative showing the State Savings Bank of Victoria building, 55 Swanston Street [corner Flinders Lane], Melbourne, 1953. The State Savings Bank of Victoria, established in 1912, used the name State Bank Victoria from 1980. In 1991 the bank was merged into the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
This image is part of the Laurie Richards Collection at Museum Victoria comprising approximately 85,000 negatives taken by the Melbourne based Laurie Richards Studio between the 1950s -1970s. These negatives are all mostly large format [5"x 4"/ 12.5 x 10 cm], black and white images, though a significant number are in colour. The many photographic jobs that were undertaken in the course of thirty years are itemised in a set of log books, copies of which are also held by Museum Victoria.
Laurie Richards was a professional photographer who began his career as a photo-journalist, working for the Advertiser newspaper in Adelaide, and the Argus and the Herald newspapers in Melbourne. In 1953, he opened his own business and set up a photographic studio at his home at 4 Tower Avenue, Alphington, an inner suburb of Melbourne. At its peak, in the late 1960s, the Laurie Richards Studio was one of Melbourne's pre-eminent commercial photographic studios, employing twelve photographers. The Laurie Richards Studio worked mainly in advertising and public relations, and had a broad clientele which included commercial companies, government institutions and the entertainment industry.
Description of Content
Exterior view of the State Savings Bank of Victoria building, 55 Swanston Street [corner Flinders Lane], Melbourne, 1953. The building was demolished in the 1970s. To the left is the Nicholas Building.
Physical Description
Black and white 5" x 4" cellullose acetate negative.
Significance
Because of the breadth of both the subject matter photographed and the diverse businesses which commissioned the work, and the excellent documentation that accompanies the collection, the Laurie Richards Collection at Museum Victoria is an invaluable record of Melbourne's commercial and industrial past and as such gives an insight into the social history of that period.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Purchase
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Place & Date Depicted
55 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 Jul 1953
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Photographer
Laurie Richards Studio, 4 Tower Avenue, Alphington, Greater Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1953
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Format
Negative, 5" x 4", Black & White
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Dimensions
103 mm (Width), 100 mm (Height)
Approximate dimensions
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