Nellie Ivy Fisher facts for kids

Nellie Ivy Fisher (1907–1995) was a brilliant chemist from London. She became famous for her work in photographic chemistry. She was also the first woman to lead a department at Kodak in Australia.

Early Life and Education

Nellie Ivy Fisher was born in London, England, on October 15, 1907. She was one of six children. Her father, Francis Frederick Fisher, was a master jeweller.

Nellie went to Paddington and Maida Vale High School. She then studied chemistry at the Imperial College of Science and Technology. This college is part of the University of London. She earned her first degree (BSc) in 1929. While studying, she was the president of the Imperial College Women’s Association. She also did an extra year of research.

Research in England

In 1930, Nellie Fisher started working at Ilford Research Laboratories. She was a research assistant to Dr. Frances Mary Hamer. Dr. Hamer was a famous chemist who worked with special dyes. These dyes make photographs sensitive to light.

In 1934, Nellie moved to Kodak Ltd in Harrow, England. This happened when Dr. Hamer also moved there. At Kodak, Nellie and Dr. Hamer studied cyanine dyes. These dyes are super important for making color photographs. They help cameras "see" different colors of light.

Their work together was very successful. Nellie used this research for her PhD degree. She earned her PhD from the University of London in 1938. Her research was about new ways to make and use cyanine dyes.

Pioneering Work in Australia

In late 1939, Nellie Fisher was invited to move to Australia. The invitation came from C. E. Kenneth Mees. He was the head of research at Eastman Kodak in New York. Nellie accepted and became the founder and director of Kodak Emulsion Labs in Australia.

She had a difficult journey from England during World War II. She finally started working at the Melbourne Kodak facility in February 1940.

Leading Kodak's Emulsion Labs

At Kodak Australasia, Nellie used her skills to make special chemicals. These chemicals were needed for photography. Supplies were hard to get during World War II. She used her knowledge of dyes to solve many manufacturing problems.

At the Abbotsford Kodak plant, Nellie made history. She was the first woman to lead a department there. She worked with Neil ‘Blue’ Lewis, the head of research. They created dyes and special filters for color photography.

Nellie's work was very important. In 1944, she gave a lecture about color and dyes. She talked about how cyanine dyes were useful for aerial photography. This was a secret way to mention Kodak's wartime scientific work. Later, in 1953, Neil Lewis spoke about color photography. He highlighted Kodak's contributions. He also mentioned the modern chemical analysis methods Nellie had brought to Kodak's Australian operations.

In 1948, Kodak opened a separate lab just for emulsions (light-sensitive coatings). Nellie led this lab until she retired. She trained many chemists there. Many of them later got important jobs at Kodak. In 1961, the Kodak factory moved to a bigger site in Coburg. Nellie was in charge of building the new labs there.

She retired from Kodak in 1962. However, she stayed in touch with the researchers for many years.

Personal Life

Nellie Fisher was known as Jackie Fisher by her friends. She and her life partner, William Wishart, loved hiking. William was a doctor from New Zealand. They enjoyed hiking even when they were on holiday overseas.

After William Wishart passed away in 1977, Nellie joined the Melbourne Walking Club. She was an active member until her health declined in the early 1990s.

Nellie Fisher died in Box Hill, Melbourne, on August 10, 1995. She was cremated.

Selected Patents

Nellie Ivy Fisher filed for several patents while working for Kodak. These patents protected her new inventions.

• She patented improvements in making dyes and related chemicals in 1934.
• She also patented improvements in making cyanine and similar dyes in 1936.
• Frances Mary Hamer and Nellie Ivy Fisher together patented cyanine dyes and how to prepare them. This patent was assigned to Eastman Kodak Company.