game, set and match – tennis courts for factory employees

In 1924 the Reilly Advertising Company created a series of images – seen here in lantern slide form – to promote Bryant and May’s, match manufacturers, as a model factory.  The factory began its life in 1909 as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald of 24 February.

From the collection of the State Library of Victoria, all of the slide images are out of copyright.  C M Abbot is the accredited slide maker.

The On My Doorstep website provides some background to the philosophy behind the running of the Melbourne factory (now a heritage building).

The former Bryant and May Industrial Complex is of historical significance as a rare surviving example of model factory conditions and amenities. The complex was run as a model factory and reflected the Quaker principles of the original English founders. Evidence of the amenities provided for its workers such as the tennis courts and dining room is still substantial. One of the first industrial nurses in Australia was employed at the factory from 1922.