[Gadsden Family Home Movie Collection: Reel 157]

The Gadsden Company has a long and proud history of manufacture, dating back to its foundation by Jabez Gadsden in 1879. The company pioneered tinplate printing in Australia, and produced the first printed can the country had seen. By 1936 the company had twelve factories spread throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The company’s success allowed two generations of Gadsden family men – Stanley Gadsden and his son Ronald – to pursue their interest in amateur filmmaking (a relatively expensive hobby for the time). The two cameramen captured the family’s children, homes, many of its major events and holidays on film.

A collection of the films made by these Gadsden family photographers has been donated to ACMI by Chris Gadsden (Ronald’s son). The films comprise a fascinating assortment of imagery that provides a window into bygone days and customs.

This film shows us the wedding of Gwen, one of the Gadsden family.

This film was originally made using 16mm film.

Selected highlights list:
00:00:10:00 women walking through the garden, dressed-up and smiling at the camera (these are presumably wedding guests arriving)
00:00:19:00 a close up of the bride in a blue wedding dress
00:00:21:00 the following 20 seconds or so of footage is badly under-exposed and very little action can be distinguished
00:00:42:00 the bride and groom pose in front of the church
00:00:54:00 the following 10 seconds or so of footage is badly under-exposed and very little action can be distinguished
00:01:05:00 we see the bride and groom, now dressed in casual clothes, loading-up and settling into a car with a full trailer attached (the car is a distinctive model Ford). Eventually the car drives off, heading through the metal gates of the garden, with the pair smiling and waving at the camera.