Baker, Thomas (1854 - 1928)

Summary

Thomas Baker manufactured photographic materials using 'dry' plate methods of manufacture. In 1908 he and his partner, J.J. Rouse, amalgamated with the London Kodak company to form Kodak (Australasia) Pty. Ltd., which manufactured photographic materials and sold Eastman's Kodak cameras.

Details

Born Montacute, Somerset, England, 23 June 1854. Died Mornington, 4 December 1928. Arrived Adelaide 1865; joined his father as blacksmith, wheelwright and coachbuilder; pharmaceutical chemist, Maryborough, Queensland 1876-81; studied medicine at the University of Melbourne 1882-83; went into business manufacturing photographic materials and developing photographs 1884; partnership with J.J. Rouse as importers and producers of photographic material 1887; branches opened in other colonies 1890-92; amalgamated with London Kodak company to form Kodak (Australasia) 1908, with Baker and Rouse as joint managing directors; manufactured the first X-ray film in Australia 1924. Donated large sums of money to the Alfred Hospital and is commemorated by the Baker Institute there. President, Melbourne Rotary club at the time of his death.

Chronology

1865

Life event - Arrived in Australia (Adelaide)

1876 - 1881

Career position - Pharmaceutical Chemist in Maryborough, Queensland

1882 - 1883

Education - Started a medical degree at the University of Melbourne, but did not complete it

1884 - 1887

Career position - Ran a photographic business manufacturing materials and developing photographs

1887 -

Career position - Partnership with J.J. Rouse as importers and producers of photographic material

1908

Career position - Kodak Australia founded as an amalgamation with London Kodak

1924

Career position - First X-ray film in Australia manufactured

Related entries

Archival resources

Museums Victoria

• Kodak Heritage Collection, Kodak Heritage Collection; Kodak Australasia Pty Ltd and its predecessors; Museums Victoria. Details

Published resources

Books

• Cato, J., The Story of the Camera in Australia (Melbourne: 1955). Details
• Davies, Alan and Stanbury, Peter, The mechanical eye in Australia: photography 1841-1900 (Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1985), xi, 270 p : ill., facsims., ports pp. See page 54. Details
• Lowe, Thomas E., The Thomas Baker, Alice Baker and Eleanor Shaw Medical Research Institute: the First Fifty Years (Melbourne: Trustees of the Baker Medical Research Institute, 1977), 144 pp. Details

Book Sections

• DeServille, P. H., 'Baker, Thomas (1854-1928), photographic scientist and philanthropist' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), pp. 156-157. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070156b.htm. Details

Conference Papers

• Leggio, Angeletta, 'A history of Australia's Kodak manufacturing plant', in AICCM Symposium 2006, Conservation of Paper, Books and Photographic Materials. Post-prints and Posters. 19-21 April 2006, Wellington, New Zealand (Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material, 2006), pp. 147-158., https://aiccm.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/AICCM_BP2006_Leggio_p147-158.pdf. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21538509. Details
• 'Baker, Thomas (1854-1928)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1469509. Details

Resource Sections

• Anonymous, 'John Joseph Rouse, Retailer, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist (not dated)', Museum Victoria, Melbourne, https://museumsvictoria.com.au/kodak/history/john-joseph-rouse/. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_b.html. Details
• Korner, Paul I., 'The Baker Medical Research Institute', Medical Journal of Australia, 143 (1985), 294-299. Details