Tales out of a box – A “Six-20 Popular Brownie” box!

A STORY OF LUCK & DEDUCTION FROM OUT OF A “LIGHT” BOX

Well after two separate visits to a pop-up shop of “odds and ends” in Paddington, Brisbane, I relented and bought a little “Six-20 Popular” Brownie camera earlier this month, only because the seller dropped the price from $30 to $20 without any prompting.

“A bargain!” I thought, especially as I ended up finding a roll of Kodak Verichrome Pan 620 film sitting inside it when I curiously peered inside the entrails of the camera to check it’s condition!!!

 You can see it right here!

H’mm what were the chances of this film not being fogged or at the worst being completely exposed?! Well, considering that the film roll was still in place and it held out the promise of being a neat time capsule of images, I decided to send the film off for processing last week.

Camera Research

Whilst waiting for the week to pass by, I researched the camera on the “The Brownie Camera Page” which is the bee’s knees of information on Brownie Box Cameras and found out the following:

• It was made by Kodak in England during 1939 – 1943, (certainly placing it in the ‘vintage’ category)
• It is one of a very large succession of Kodak “Box”-shaped Brownie cameras,
• It is encased in a grained black leatherette covered card body,
• It has two reflecting mirror finders (although I can barely see through them due to built up dust and moth cases) – one used for portrait and the other for landscape compositions,
• It used 620-sized roll film, which gave 8 exposures per roll, each 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4 inches in dimension. Nice one – except that 620 film is no-longer made!

 

I also managed to find some digitised copies of the manual:

Self-evidently very simple in design and use, it has:

• an exposure lever to take snapshots;
• a “time” lever to keep the shutter open for longer time periods;
• a positive meniscus glass lens;
• two catches that hold the body together; and
• a simple spring-loaded single shutter.

It is not able to focus, has no aperture, only has a single-speed shutter, can not be mounted on a tripod, and has  an approximate worth of US$15-$25 (so I did get a bargain!). I also found out that 120 film has the same negative size as the 620 film is still available (in production since 1902!). It can be used in the Brownie if it is respooled onto the 620-sized spool – in a dark room or a light-proof film changing bag.

 

The Moment of Truth

So last Monday, after collecting the developed negative and CD onto which the images were scanned, I received a nice surprise when I looked at the CD contents on my computer screen to reveal – 6 well-exposed black & white shots!

Here they are:

First up I must confess that the images do not belong to another lost Vivian Maier collection. Although the images are well exposed they are grainy and a bit fuzzy (some out-of-focus and/or movement blur is apparent) and besides that, the Rolleiflex series camera Maier used 120 roll film, not 620.

However, the following details could be made out:

•  2x images of a  bridge over water  with cars crossing it;
•  An out of focus image of a seated woman with wind blowing her dress;
•  A mid-century-looking building with letters “RSSAILA” painted on a wall of it, and “PT. Augusta Sub Branch” signage atop the building;
•  A street scene with “E.H Jones & Son” sign visible below a balcony with parked cars;
•  Street scene with a 2-storey classical building with street signage “YOUNG & GORDO…” with cars parked out in the street on a bright sunny day.

Enlarging the images on the computer screen, enlisting the help of my keen-eyed daughter and performing a bit of Google sleuthing, we were able to fathom that all the photos were taken in Port Augusta, South Australia some time in the 1950’s – 1960’s.

Cold Case Detective Work

Here is the list of evidence we used to reach our conclusion.

      1. RSSAILA = “Returned Soldier’s Sailor’s and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia“, Port Augusta Sub Branch Augusta, South Australia.

There is a RSL Port Augusta sub branch building currently standing at 17 Fulham Rd, but it is a modern brick building. The original building is pictured as being located on a corner (an a neighbouring block on the corner of Fulham Rd and the Augusta Princess Highway stands empty). Was this the original site of the RSSAILA or was it located elsewhere in Port Augusta? An inquiry to the RSL has been made to verify this.

2. Young & Gordon store, 7 – 11 Commercial Road, Port Augusta

The inscription: “Bignell & Young Importers Establish’d 1867[ii]” is still visible on the central pediment of the building which is of Italianate architectural style, with the façade decorated with Corinthian columns. Full plate glass windows were used on the frontage of both the upper and ground floors – hence the use of blinds to keep out the sun (they are drawn down in the image below).

Parked out the front of this building are two FJ Holden sedans[i] which were produced in Australia from 1953 to 1957 dating this image to the late ’50’s to mid ’60’s.

As you can see from the two views outside the store today, that the building is still in good condition, although the upper storey looks vacant (look carefully and you’ll see that the blinds are open and tattered).

 Fully grown gum trees stand at the front of the pale-pink painted building (now occupied by “Target”), but the white painted water hydrant is still stands on the street (behind the second white car in the above image).

The single storey building also used to be Young & Gordon’s store in days past, but not any longer.

Young & Gordon Ltd Store Port Augusta –  note no urns/vases along the parapet.

[Source SA Memory – State Library of South Australia: Image BRG 209/37/8)

Young and Gordon was an influential business and well-known department store located in Port Augusta. Considered to be the biggest department store outside of Adelaide its origins began when storekeeper Francis Bignell took over the Port Augusta drapery business of Tassie & Co. in 1867, and later entered a partnership with Thomas Young (1844-1913) as “Bignell & Young”, merchants and forwarding agents, also actively trading in drapery, groceries and hardware through northern South Australia. The partnership was dissolved in 1881 when Bignell retired.

Young then entered into a new partnership with Robert Gordon, trading as “Young and Gordon”. They sold drapery, millinery, dressmaking, tailoring, clothing, footware, grocery, produce, ironmongery, glassware, earthernware, wine and spirits[vii].

A typical Young & Gordon Advertising banner c.1909 [Source:Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta[iv]]

The business became Young & Gordon Ltd., in 1920. Descendants of Thomas Young managed the business in succession: O.J. Young (1884-1956) then Peter Young (d.1987).

View c.1909 of the Young & Gordon building (with urns atop the parapet) [Source: Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta[iii]] The horse-drawn carts outnumbered the cars then.

 

A coloured lithograph showing a view along Commercial Road with the premises of Young & Gordon on the right.c.1897.

[Source: ‘Port Augusta and Quorn Dispatch’[v].]

View of the “Young & Gordon (late Bignell & Young) store” c1885State Library of South Australia Pictorial Collection Image No. B 7907.[vi]

 The firm continued to grow despite economic hard times including drought and depression. The firm and store existed for well over a century before selling in 1980 to Demasius Limited[viii].

Mr Thomas Young one of the founders (c.1909)[Image source [Source: ‘Port Augusta and Quorn Dispatch[ix]]

 

3. 20 Commercial Road Building, Port Augusta

Taken on a bright sunny day, close to midday with cars parked in the street and a few people moving along it.

View to the southeast along 20 Commercial Road with prominent “EH Jones & Sons” sign (who were manufacturers of shoes and handbags, c 1950’s). Note the dark-coloured drainpipe and drainpipe header (top left). A fence sign ending in “..HISKY” suggests the word “Whisky” and the photo was taken at some elevation above the road surface.

Almost the same view today (but from street level), showing the same two-storey building with painted masonry walls with green iron latticework on the balcony. Amazingly the drainpipe and drainpipe header (top centre left)  are still present but are now painted cream. The once straight and linear road kerbs have been reshaped to make speed-reducing curves and parking bays in the distance.

Built mid/late 1800’s this commercial premises has passed through a number of owners, and now houses Ozzies and Wendy’s food businesses [x]

 

4. Commercial Road Vista (various buildings & views)

A mixed combo view looking to the southeast along Commercial Street! I created this using a bit of photoshop ingenuity to join the two B&W images.

In the foreground 20 Commercial Road is on the left and the 2-storey Young & Gordon building is on the right. In the centre of the image, on the right-hand side of the street, are a few buildings and shop fronts that are still recognisable today.

 

In the middle distance on the right a couple of 2-storey white-painted buildings with shop fronts on the ground floor still exist at 31 & 33 Commercial Rd.

The next photo is taken of buildings slightly to the right and adjacent of the pale blue building above.

A c.1909 view of shops located between the pale blue shop (previous picture) and the double storey Young & Gordon Building showing W.Symons General Drapery & Importer Shop now the Port Augusta Newsagency at 19 Commercial Rd . [Image Source: Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta [xi]]

Further down the street a 2-storey building with a return verandah and balcony can be made out. It is the Flinders Hotel at 39 Commercial Road (on the corner with Chapel St).

Flinders Hotel, now surrounded by gum trees

This pub building was known as s Mackay’s when it was opened in June 1878[xii]. The name of the hotel changed in 1879 to the Flinders Family Hotel and later to the Hotel Flinders.

A 1909 view of an unpainted version of “The Flinders” Hotel showing its stone structure [Image Source: Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta [xiii]]

In 1909 the proprietress was a Mrs Mullen and “The Flinders” as it was then known,  was a hotel furnished with several pianos, two billiard tables and lit with acetylene gas  lamps. No wonder it was “A Favourite with Travellers”!

   

A Verandah With a View 

So where was the elevated vantage point that our unknown photographer used to capture the view of Commercial Street? In the approximate location where the photo was taken currently sits the contemporary single storey pub, the  “Tassie Tavern”.

It was built in 2009 on the site of the former Exchange Hotel (at 12 Commercial Street), which previusly was a 2-storey stone building with return verandah running along El Alamein Rd (formerly Tassie Street) and wrapping around the corner into Commercial Street, the place for a photographer to be, out of the heat of the midday sun!

 

A verandah with a view. A corner view of the Exchange Hotel from El Alamein Rd with Commercial Rd on the right. (Photo taken 18/08/1998 by Jon Graham).

Originally the pub was known as Payne’s Tavern then in 1879 as Taylor’s Hotel, and renamed Exchange in 1914. The original location of the hotel can be seen in the left hand image below and probably best explains the “(W)..HISKY” sign on the fence photographed in the the B&W view of the Building of 20 Commercial St.

Two aerial views of Commercial Street (centre) and El Alamein Rd (at bottom)

Left Image  May 2007 ; Right image October 2009

Key

Red dot – Exchange Hotel (left) now Tassie Tavern (right)

Orange dot – Ozzies & Wendy’s building at 20 Commercial Rd

Pink Dot – Young & Gordon Building (now a Target store) at 13 Commercial Rd

Blue dot  – Pt. Augusta Newsagency (formerly W. Symons store) at 17 Commercial Rd

Pale Blue dot – pale blue shop front at 27 Commercial Rd

Green dot – Two 2-storey buildings at 31 & 33 Commercial Rd

Yellow-orange dot – Flinders Hotel at 39 Commercial Rd

5. “Old” Great Western Bridge

Built in 1926 of timber with steel beams and the deck surfaced with asphalt, the “Old” Great Western Bridge opened on 6 July 1927[xiv] replacing a punt and ferry service[xv]. It served as a vehicular crossing that linked the east and west sides of the Spencer Gulf until it was replaced by a newer concrete bridge in the 1970’s.

It now functions as a pedestrian bridge for access and recreational use. During its time it was important in carrying both water pipe and electricity lines to Port Augusta from Whyalla.

 

Compare our photographer’s views of the bridge (in these two images) with the postcard below. You can just see a jetty on the left, cars on the bridge and the low tide which is well out.

 

A postcard view of Great Western Bridge[xvi] and jetty built in 1878[xvii] on east side of the Gulf and viewed viewed from the south.

 

Oblique aerial view to the north of the New Great Western Bridge and the older timber bridge to the north indicating the likely position of where the B&W images above were taken (close to where the jetty meets the eastern shore).

Note the Jetty to the south which appears in the postcard and on the very left edge of the composited box brownie image below is marked in both with red circle. The blue and purple dots correspond with those shown in the composite of the original black and white images below to give a sense of orientation.

A view of the Old Western Bridge from the northwest shore looking back toward Port Augusta with cars travelling over the the “New” Great Western concrete bridge visible in the background.

6. Mystery woman

So we are left with an anonymous woman who looks to be relaxed with her eyes closed and enjoying the gusts of wind billowing her dress. She sits partly shaded on a wooden bench in front of a brick structure (park hut or enclosure) and in the background, vehicles can be seen with an intervening piece of dry flat ground with patchy grass cover.

I don’t know where this image was taken. Possibly somewhere along the banks of the Spencer Gulf, perhaps in a park on a sunny Sunday enjoying a weekend break. Was she a local, was she visiting?

I think I’ll take leave of her here in her relaxed, right-of-centre pose. Why bother her with questions of “Who?”, “What?” and “Where?” now?

I mean, would she be able to answer:

1. Why did 60 or so years intervene before this roll of film was developed?
2. Why were only 6-images taken and not the full roll of 8 exposures? [Was the photographer unhappy with a set of prints received while shooting this roll and simply gave up?]
3. How did a camera ostensibly originating from Port Augusta come to rest in a pop-up shop in Paddington Brisbane?
4. Who owned the camera?
5. What happened to the owner of the camera?

 

References

[i] Holden FJ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_FJ accessed 17^th August 2015.

[ii] Port Augusta – Local Heritage Survey.  PA4: Fosseys (Former Bignell and Young Store) pg 17.  Port Augusta City Council 2009.  http://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/REPA4794HeritageSurvey.pdf accessed 17^th August 2015.

[iii] Robertson, J. Edward (1909). Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta : the seaside resort of South Australia. Adelaide J. Edward Robertson http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/209992534

[iv] Robertson, J. Edward (1909). Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta : the seaside resort of South Australia. Adelaide J. Edward Robertson http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/209992534

[v] Commercial Road, Port Augusts. Rider & Mercer lithographers, 1892 State Library of South Australia Pictorial Collection Image No. B 9293/28 http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/record=b2113883~S1 accessed 17^th August 2015.

[vi] Young & Gordon premises at Port Augusta. c.1885. State Library of South Australia Pictorial Collection Image No. B 7907. http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/mpcimg/08000/B7907.htm accessed 17^th August 2015.

[vii] Young & Gordon premises at Port Augusta. c.1885. State Library of South Australia Image No. B 7907, Catalogue entry http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/record=b2038616~S1

[viii] Port Augusta Then and Now. Photographs of Young and Gordon’s store. On SA Memory South Australia: past and present, for the future. State Library of South Australia http://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?c=5856 accessed 17^th August 2015.

[ix] Robertson, J. Edward (1909). Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta : the seaside resort of South Australia. Adelaide J. Edward Robertson http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/209992534

[x] Port Augusta – Local Heritage Survey.  PA5: Shops (Ozzies & Wendys) pg 21.  Port Augusta City Council 2009.  http://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/REPA4794HeritageSurvey.pdf accessed 17^th August 2015.

[xi] Robertson, J. Edward (1909). Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta : the seaside resort of South Australia. Adelaide J. Edward Robertson http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/209992534

[xii] Port Augusta – Local Heritage Survey.  PA8: Hotel Flinders pg 27.  Port Augusta City Council 2009.  http://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/REPA4794HeritageSurvey.pdf accessed 17^th August 2015.

[xiii] Robertson, J. Edward (1909). Prosperous Quorn and Port Augusta : the seaside resort of South Australia. Adelaide J. Edward Robertson http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/209992534

[xiv] Port Augusta – Local Heritage Survey.  PA2: ‘Old’ Great Western Bridge pg 11.  Port Augusta City Council 2009.  http://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/REPA4794HeritageSurvey.pdf accessed 17^th August 2015.

[xv] EXTENSIVE REPAIRS TO BRIDGE. (1936, August 21).Recorder (Port Pirie, SA : 1919 – 1954), p. 1. Retrieved August 17, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95891812

[xvi] http://www.quicksales.com.au/ad/vintage-unused-murray-views-no-7-great-western-bridge-port-augusta-south-australia-postcard-13-8cm-x-8-3cm/11240305 accessed 17^th August 2015.

[xvii] Port Augusta – Local Heritage Survey.  PA3: Jetty pg 14.  Port Augusta City Council 2009.  http://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/REPA4794HeritageSurvey.pdf accessed 17^th August 2015.