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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 301 - 350) 9145 items
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Negative - Contractor's Travelling Chaffcutter with Bag Elevator & Portable Steam Engine i ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Sheepdog Trial, Freshwater Creek, Victoria, circa 1910
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Footscray, Victoria, 1928
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Footscray, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Manangatang, Victoria, 1939
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Manangatang, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Teachers & Pupils Outside State School No.1611, Mount Jeffcott South, Victoria, ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Jeffcott, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Shearers at Work on 'Portland Downs' Station, Isisford District, Queensland, ci ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Isisford, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Shoreham, Victoria, 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Shoreham, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Merino, Victoria, 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Merino, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Palmer Island, New South Wales, 1934
A cane cutters team.
From: Ulmarra, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Jeetho, Victoria, 1936
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Jeetho, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - New South Wales, circa 1925
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Farmhouse With Surrounding Verandas, Tallangatta District, Victoria, circa 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Tallangatta, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Cranbourne, Victoria, 1934
A man standing in maize crop.
From: Cranbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Melbourne, Victoria, circa 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Melbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - South Melbourne, Victoria, circa 1880
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: South Melbourne, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Soldiers Drinking, Dandenong, Victoria, circa 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Dandenong, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Camel Train, Ooldea, South Australia, 1919
Camel team with fourteen camels in Ooldea, South Australia. Dated to 1919. The inscription on the bottom reads 'Camel. Team. Ooldea./ 1919'. The camels and their cameleers helped car ...
From: Ooldea Hill, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Home Decorated for Soldier's Return, Ballarat, Victoria, 1919
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Sydney, New South Wales, circa 1880
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Sydney, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - German Prisoners of War at a Funeral, Tatura, Murchison District, Victoria, cir ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Murchison, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Dareton, New South Wales, circa 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Dareton, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Swan Hill District, Victoria, circa 1930
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Frankston, Victoria, circa 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Frankston, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Luna Park, Glenelg, South Australia, 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Glenelg South, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Tyrendarra, Victoria, 1927
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Tyrendarra, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Sturt Street Under Snow, Ballarat, Victoria, 1901
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Thomas Vines Driving a Cobb & Company Coach, Geelong District, Victoria, circa ...
Thomas Vines driving a Cobb & Company coach which had been imported from the United States by Joshua Vines in 1861.
From: Geelong, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Yarraville, Victoria, 1936
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Yarraville, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Traralgon, Victoria, 1898
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Browns River, Tasmania, 1929
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Browns River, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Decorated Baker's Cart in Centenary Procession, Ballarat, Victoria, 1938
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Chemist's Shop Decorated for Centenary Celebrations, Ballarat, Victoria, 1938
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Glider, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, circa 1930
A glider at Bacchus Marsh in Victoria. One man supports the wing.
From: Bacchus Marsh, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Airco DH.6 Biplane, Victoria, circa 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - Avro 504 Aircraft, Sea Lake, Victoria, circa 1920
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
Images: 1 -
Negative - The Statuary Pavilion & Fernhouse in the Botanical Gardens, Ballarat, Victoria, ...
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Ballarat, Victoria, circa 1905
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Ballarat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mount Bulli, New South Wales, 1878
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Bulli, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Erldunda, Northern Territory, 1935
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Erldunda, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Traralgon District, Victoria, 1934
The Duke of Gloucester meeting Scout and Guide leaders.
Images: 1 -
Negative - HMAS Creswell, Jervis Bay, New South Wales, 1922
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Jervis Bay National Park, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Kyalite, New South Wales, circa 1930
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Kyalite, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Larkin Aircraft Supply Co. (LASCO) Coode Island, Victoria, 1930
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Essendon, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Ararat High School Basketball Team, Ararat, Victoria, circa 1915
The Ararat High School basketball team.
From: Ararat, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Broadmeadows, Victoria, 1916
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Broadmeadows, Australia Images: 1 -
Negative - Mount Nonning (?), South Australia, 1938
The Biggest Family Album of Australia, Museum Victoria
From: Mount Nonning, Australia Images: 1
