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The Biggest Family Album in Australia Collection
Image: Negative
Source: Museum Victoria
The Biggest Family Album in Australia project was undertaken by Museum Victoria between 1985 and 1991. It resulted in the collection of copies of over 9,000 photographs from rural and regional Victoria dating from the 1890s to the 1940s. These photographs continue to be a resource for the entire community, appearing in education programs, history books, exhibitions, student projects, and community projects.
The Biggest Family Album in Australia (BFA) project aimed to document Victorian history and culture using family photographs. Commencing in 1985 and continuing until 1991, rural and regional locations in Victoria were indentified and two Museum Victoria staff were stationed at each area for two weeks. At each location staff copied images and collected the associated information using a one page worksheet. The project was promoted with each area before staff arrived to undertake copying and recording work.
The criteria used for selecting images was that they contained information about people, their activities at work, home and play, and the built environment. Landscapes and portraits, particularly studio shots, were not copied as part of the BFA project, as it was felt they did not meet the aims of the project.
The BFA project was conducted to increase the representation of images of everyday life, taken by ordinary people, in Victoria's State Collection. These types of images are a unique and highly significant historical resource, and provide insights into domestic and working life, education, recreation, travel, settlement and much more. As these types of images degrade significantly with time, this project was a means of preserving these images and their associated information before it was lost or forgotten.
The collection comprises over 9,000 copy negatives, with the originals remaining with the owners. In 2006 a related project, Melbourne's Biggest Family Album. collected approximately 1,200 images of Melbourne's history using the same collecting methodology.
All of the images from both collections are digitised and accessible through the Museum Victoria website and Picture Australia.
Several publications have resulted from the project:
Bate, Weston (1989). Having a Go! Bill Boyd's Mallee, Museum of Victoria
McConville, Chris (1988). Mum and Dad Made History, Museum of Victoria
Museum of Victoria (1990). The Biggest Family Album in Australia, Museum of Victoria
Pitts, Lillian Louisa (1990). Merrigum Frank, Museum of Victoria
Items per page: 10 50 (showing 251 - 300) 9145 items
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Negative - Camel Train, Birdsville, Queensland, circa 1930
A camel train containing sixty eight camels. Birdsville, Queensland, circa 1930. The camels and their cameleers helped carry supplies inland for the mining and sheep industries, aided ...
From: Birdsville, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Otway District, Victoria, circa 1920
Four men with a tree which they have felled. One holds a dog.
From: Otway National Park, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Puckapunyal (?), Victoria, 1926
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Chinkapook, Victoria, 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Chinkapook, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Puckapunyal, Victoria, circa 1940
Two soldiers with a mortar. The soldier on the left is an officer and wears an armband.
Images: 1 -
Negative - J.F. Watkin's Contracting Team Laying a 4-Foot Main Pipeline, Beaufort, Victori ...
J. F. Watkin 's contracting team laying a 4' main pipeline.
From: Beaufort, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - View of High Street, Charlton, Victoria, Apr 1898
View of High Steet, Charlton, Victoria, 1898. Photograph taken by Thomas Beckett. Part of a collection of glass plate negatives taken by Dr Thomas George Beckett, doctor, pioneering ra ...
From: Charlton, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mildura District, Victoria, circa 1905
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Mildura, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Ballarat District, Victoria, pre 1940
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Geelong, Victoria, Apr 1936
Contestants in a scooter race at Geelong.
From: Geelong, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Darwin, Northern Territory, circa 1930
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Darwin, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Craig's Hotel Decorated for Centenary Celebrations, Ballarat, Victoria, 1938
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Jeeralang District, Victoria, circa 1930
A man with a stack of wood and a selection of logging tools including an auto logger.
From: Jeeralang, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Geelong, Victoria, 1927
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Geelong, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mount Nonning (?), South Australia (?), circa 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Mount Nonning, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Boating on Lake Jubilee, Daylesford, Victoria, circa 1905
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Daylesford, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Flemington, Victoria, 1938
An airshow at the Flemington Racecourse. The aircraft are (from left) an Avro Cadet, Avro Anson, Tugan Gannet, Westland Wapiti and Seagull V, circa 1938.
From: Flemington, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Prahran, Victoria, circa 1885
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Prahran, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Footscray, Victoria, 1932
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Footscray, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Knowsley District, Victoria, 1900
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Knowsley, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Lorne, Victoria, 1907
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Lorne, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Lavers Hill District, Victoria, circa 1905
A tree trunk attached by cable to a standing tree. Two men stand beside it.
From: Lavers Hill, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mile End, Adelaide, South Australia, circa 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Mile End, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Ensay District (?), Victoria, circa 1905
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Mildura District, Victoria, circa 1930
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Mildura, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Picnic Point, Victoria, circa 1910
A studio portrait of a small girl holding a doll and a teddy bear.
Images: 1 -
Negative - Maryborough, Victoria, 1907
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Maryborough, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Richmond, Victoria, circa 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Richmond, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Springvale, Victoria, 1928
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Springvale, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mount Buffalo, Victoria, 1923
A man standing next to a balancing rock.
From: Mt Buffalo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Brunswick West, Victoria, Jan 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Brunswick West, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - East Melbourne, Victoria, circa 1885
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: East Melbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Manangatang, Victoria, circa 1925
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Manangatang, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Wallaroo, South Australia, 1939
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Wallaroo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mildura District, Victoria, 1913
The Mildura Soccer Club, the first soccer club in Mildura.
From: Mildura, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - La Trobe, Tasmania, circa 1905
The Latrobe Football Team, premiers.
From: Latrobe, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Newport, Victoria, 1914
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Newport, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Cape Byron, New South Wales, 1929
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Cape Byron, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Spring Gully, Bendigo, Victoria, circa 1895
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Spring Gully, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Bendigo District, Victoria, circa 1900
A group of miners at a mine site.
From: Bendigo, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Hudswell Clarke 0-4-2T steam locomotive, Australian Portland Cement Works Quarr ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Fannie Bay, Northern Territory, circa 1930
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Fannie Bay, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Tram Tracks Around Victoria Square Square, Adelaide, South Australia, circa 193 ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Adelaide, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Australian National Airways (ANA) DH86, Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Duntroon, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Darwin, Northern Territory, Jun 1931
Men working on the engine of James Mollison 's aircraft, a DH 60G Moth.
From: Darwin, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Woman & Girl on Horseback, 'Glenview' Station, Tullamarine, Victoria, circa 192 ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Tullamarine, Australia Images: 1
