Bruck Textiles came to Wangaratta in 1946, creating a population boom in the town. It became a working destination, attracting workers from all over Australia and Europe following the Second World War.

Bruck Textiles began with manufacturing furnishing and apparel fabrics and still operates today, though its emphasis has shifted to high performance fabrics such as those used by the Australian Defence Forces.

These photographs were taken by two individuals, Wolfgang Georg Sievers and Bob Beel.

Wolfgang Georg Sievers, AO (1913 –2007) specialised in architectural and industrial photography. He was born and educated in Germany and was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus movement. He fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s and went first to England, where his brother lived, and then onto Australia. He opened a studio in South Yarra, Melbourne, which later moved to Collins Street. His work was hugely influential, especially his industrial photography with its socialist/heroic use of workers and theatrically lit machinery.

Bob Beel, was a self-taught photographer from Wangaratta. He established the Le Dawn Studios in Wangaratta in 1956. From 1956 to his retirement in October 1996 he recorded public events and life in North Eastern Victoria.