Henry Christian (c.1809-91), the grandfather of the photographer, was one of the first settlers in Kew. He arrived in Victoria with his wife Agnes and son Orlando in 1855 on the Gypsy Queen. He established a rope-making business in Bulleen Road by 1858 but was declared insolvent two years later. In his final years, he was celebrated as one of the oldest living settlers of the district. His son, Orlando Henry Beater Christian (c.1853-1930) became a member of the Hawthorn Band and a foundation member of the Willsmere Swimming Club. Orlando and his wife Elizabeth had four children of which Henry Beater Christian (1886-1962) was the eldest.An item from an outstanding and diverse photographic collection, assembled by members of the Christian family of Pakington Street, Kew, comprising professional and amateur photography, depicting individuals, natural and settled environments and the interactions between these worlds. Many of the photographs vividly capture the worlds of three generations of men - Henry Christian, his son Orlando Henry Beater Christian, and his grandson of Henry Christian. The most important photographer was the youngest, Henry Christian, who was a keen explorer, not just of his immediate environment but also of the Victorian wilderness. His major opus is contained in two albums in which he records, sometimes in majestic detail and on other occasions the intimate features of the natural world. His photographic travels during the 1920s, often in solitary ramblings but on other occasions with companions, recall the heroic landscape photography of an earlier era, pioneered by Nicholas Caire. In addition to their aesthetic value, the albums are historically significant records within the State of Victoria, of what is now a distant point in time, and of places that have become radically altered through human intervention.Black and white photo of the rear view of a man in a hat standing under a tree on a hill looking across the Yarra River (unseen) towards Melbourne. The exhibition building and the spires of St Patrick’s Cathedral can be seen on the skyline. The man may be Orlando Henry Beater Christian. If all the spires are intact it must postdate 1939 when work begun in the early 1930s on the spires began. He may be standing on the edge of the Yarra Boulevard.melbourne skyline - 1930s, yarra boulevard -- kew (vic.), christian-washfold collection

Pru Sanderson, in her groundbreaking ‘City of Kew Urban Conservation Study : Volume 2 - Development History’ (1988), summarised the periods of urban development and subdivisions of land in Kew. The periods that she identified included 1845-1880, 1880-1893, 1893-1921, 1921-1933, 1933-1943, and Post-War Development. These periods were selected as they represented periods of rapid growth or decline in urban development. An obvious starting point for Sanderson’s groupings involved population growth and the associated economic cycles. These cycles also highlighted urban expansion onto land that was predominantly rural, although in other cases it represented the decline and breakup of large estates. A number of the plans in the Kew Historical Society’s collection can also be found in other collections, such as those of the State Library of Victoria and the Boroondara Library Service. A number are however unique to the collection.The Kew Historical Society collection includes almost 100 subdivision plans pertaining to suburbs of the City of Melbourne. Most of these are of Kew, Kew East or Studley Park, although a smaller number are plans of Camberwell, Deepdene, Balwyn and Hawthorn. It is believed that the majority of the plans were gifted to the Society by persons connected with the real estate firm - J. R. Mathers and McMillan, 136 Cotham Road, Kew. The Plans in the collection are rarely in pristine form, being working plans on which the agent would write notes and record lots sold and the prices of these. The subdivision plans are historically significant examples of the growth of urban Melbourne from the beginning of the 20th Century up until the 1980s. A number of the plans are double-sided and often include a photograph on the reverse. This plan shows a subdivision with two sections: the ‘Boulevard Section’ and the ‘Riverside Section’. The first of these sections bordered Burke Road between Kilby Road and the farm beside the Yarra. Kilby Road, Munro Road, Burke Road and Old Burke Road bordered the 102 lots in the Boulevard Section of the plan. The streets within the Section included Walbundry Avenue, Inverness Way, Riverside Avenue, Cascade Street and Kyora Parade. These street names, at least in this subdivision plan linked the two Sections of the subdivision. At a later date, the City of Kew decided to alter the street names. Walbundry, Inverness, Riverside, Cascade and Kyora were all renamed as ‘Drives’ (e.g. Kyora Drive). The subdivision plan is of interest in that it names High Street in Kew as Doncaster Road. It also shows the location of the wooden church that was later removed to Yarraville on the corner of Kilby Road and High Street. The plan predates later developments such as the S. E. Dickens Supermarket.subdivision plans - east kew, boulevard estate, munro road -- kew east (vic.), kilby road -- kew east (vic.), burke road -- kew east (vic.), walbundry avenue -- kew east (vic.), inverness way -- kew east (vic.), riverside avenue -- kew east (vic.), cascade drive -- kew east (vic.), nyora parade -- kew east (vic.)

This aerial photograph shows the Kew Cottages, and doctors/clergy residences on the north side of Wills Street, before the State Government sold the land for residential development. The doctors residences in Wills street were made of 'Glen Iris' Olympic Bricks. According to neighbours of the time most of the buildings were demolished overnight in the 1980s.Aerial photograph of Willsmere and the Kew Cottages bounded by the Boulevard, the Chandler Highway, Princess Street and Fellows Street. The roundabout at the intersection of Princess Street, Wills Street, and Eglinton Street is at the top left. The Eastern Freeway is at the lower edge of the photograph.kew cottages, eastern freeway, willsmere, yarra river, aerial photographs -- kew (vic), kew boulevard, willsmere mental hospital, kew mental hospital, kew childrens cottages

The Yarra Scenic Boulevard stretching from Hawthorn to the Chandler Highway was completed as a major project between 1933 and 1936 during a period of significant unemployment. Key dates in the construction this section the road include: 1933 when Kew Council supported the construction of the road from Studley Park to the Kew Asylum; and 1936 when the road from the Johnston Street Bridge to the Chandler Highway was opened. The inscription on the reverse of the photo 'Boulevard Fairfield' is misleading as there is no section of the Boulevard in Fairfield. A more likely interpretation is that it is a photograph of the Kew section of the Yarra Boulevard with the factories of Fairfield in the distance.Rare early photograph of the Yarra Boulevard, taken one year after the opening of the road. The photograph is an important historical record of the results of 'Susso' labor in the creation of major works in Melbourne by the Victorian Government. Original, black and white positive print of the Boulevard at Kew in 1937. Key aspects to note about the photograph is that the road is bituminised; that the gutters are concreted; that the kerb is constructed of concrete blocks; and that there is an unmade footpath on what appears to be the right hand side of the road. The landscape is sparsely treed, and those trees that remain are presumably remnant vegetation. At the right, the land is fenced. The land at the left falls away sharply to the river below. On the horizon, at left, there is an industrial complex including a tall chimney that is burning fuel creating smoke. "Boulevard Fairfield" great depression, susso projects, roads -- kew (vic.), yarra boulevard, yarra valley

Box of slides labelled "P.C. & Ben A?" Appear to be photographs of pests and diseases of pine trees - Phytophthera cinnamomi? 1 labelled "Sirex" Sirex Wood Wasp?" Mostly May 80 and Apr 81. Other labels: E. Smithii Gully Peppermint Orbost Vic, Portable ...? built Dec 93, Kew Swift & Building Melb Water.sirex wood wasp, phytophthera cinnamomi, arboriculture, excursion, pests, eucalyptus smithii, gully peppermint, orbost, diseases, kew swift