Kodak Factory, Harrow, Greater London

Photograph taken 1900s © Reproduced by permission of Historic England Archive ref: bb91/19776

This photograph taken in the Developing and Printing Department shows women retouching glass negatives. Taking photographs was becoming far more common and new techniques were invented. More people were needed to work on the processing of negatives which had previously been done in photographers shops. The 1911 census report shows that many young women found work in this new industry. Their clothes suggest a date in the 1900s.

Location

Greater London Harrow

Period

Edwardian (1902 - 1913)

Themes

The Comptometer room at the Stratford Co-operative Society, showing girls and boys working on model 'E' comptometers. The comptometer, invented in 1887 by American, Dor Felt, was the first successful manual calculating machine. Many of the boys and girls look very young to be at work. The school leaving age was only raised to 14 in the Education Act of 1918 so they could well have been younger than that.

Kodak Factory, Harrow, Greater London

Location

Period

Themes

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