A Colourful History — Health Museum of South Australia

A huge shout out to Kelly Bonito from A Colourful History for bringing the “Adelaide Hospital Infectious Diseases Block” alive.

In Kelly’s words “Bringing the world of the old to life by colourising old photos”. Please go and check out her wonderful Facebook page, where beautiful black and white photographs are revitalised with colour!

The photograph was taken in 1906 and is of the Adelaide Hospital Infectious Diseases Block. The building was opened in 1852 and was used as the Adelaide Hospital Lunatic Asylum, closing in 1901. It was then was converted to care for infectious disease patients until 1932. The building was demolished and returned to gardens, when the Botanic Gardens took ownership after a land swap with the Adelaide Hospital in 1935.

Below are other examples of the building:

Adelaide Hospital Lunatic Asylum taken from the Botanic Gardens 1864, courtesy of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens

Infections Disease Block 1906, possibly taken at the same time as the colourised photograph

Infectious Diseases Block taken from the Nelumbo water lily pond in the Botanic Gardens 1906

Adelaide Hospital Infectious Diseases Block Ca 1930

Written by Margot Way, CALHN Health Museum