Living Hawthorn (1906)
Synopsis
Historical footage filmed by Melbourne-based chemists Millard Johnson and William Gibson in Hawthorn, Victoria.
Curator’s notes
This historical footage contains some of the earliest moving images of daily life in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, Victoria. It records the streets and businesses of the area from fixed and moving positions and focuses on the people and employees as well as the locations. The film is quite scratched but the images are clear and the quality of the record captured is exceptional – it certainly brings Hawthorn to life.
Millard Johnson and William Gibson were two of the early pioneers of Australian silent film. They were partners in a pharmacy business in St Kilda and moved into cinema photography and processing from their backgrounds as chemists. The two began screening films around Melbourne from 1905. In 1906 they were involved in the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang. As well as producing the film with the Tait Brothers, Johnson was the cinematographer on the film and Gibson handled the lab processing and printing. Through their production company Johnson & Gibson, the pair made a handful of actuality films recording daily life and events around Melbourne including Opening of the Prahran-Malvern Tramway in 1910.
Living Hawthorn screened to local audiences at the Hoyts Palace Theatre (no longer in existence) in Victoria.
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