Toronto. The famous PHSC Fall Fair will be held at the Trident Hall on October 20, 2024. For details, see the poster below. Still have questions? Send Mark a note at fair@phsc.ca (the links in the poster below do not work).
PHSC FALL FAIR October 20, 2024
19th century tintype from Indiana. Lot 191 in the Live ML Auction
Toronto. Once summer is in the rear-view mirror, the collectors see many choices to augment their collections. For the photo collectors amongst us, ML Antiques (Michael Lehr) in the States have announced their fall auction as being held September 21, 2024 – about a month before our fair. Michael says, “Explore Our New Bidding platform and Save 5% on Our Upcoming Auction!
“We’re excited to introduce our new auction platform, designed for the needs of our collector, dealer, and curator clients. Our fall 19th century photographic history auction will be available soon and you can get a head start by preregistering today.” …
The catalog of offerings and estimated value may be seen here. The image at left is described thusly, “A quarter plate tintype presents a rare image from the 19th century, capturing an African American woman tenderly interacting with twin white girls, who are kissing each other while seated in a crib. The photograph exudes warmth and intimacy, offering a glimpse into the lives and relationships within a domestic setting during this era.
“The composition of the image, with the African American woman gently overseeing the interaction between the two girls, is both striking and emotionally evocative. The children’s white dresses and the soft lighting add to the serene atmosphere, while the woman’s presence suggests a deep bond and care within the household.
“This tintype was discovered in Indiana and serves as a valuable historical artifact that sheds light on the complex social dynamics of the time. The image is a powerful reminder of the often-unseen personal relationships that existed during a period marked by racial divisions.”
Visit the catalog and see what Michael is offering this fall – and you can register and bid on line!
Toronto.My friend Gary Perry tells me the next Camerama Camera Show is Sunday, September 29, 2024. See flyer [below] for details.
“Now in our 28th Year!”
Show will be held at the same great location and same time as always:
The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
6 Sakura Way, Toronto, M3C 1Z
Open for attendees: 10:00am – 3:00pm for $9 admission (Student with ID $7)
Vendor Tables Available (only a few left). Rates are $75 per 8ft table including entry for vendor and one helper. No tablecloths are provided. Use EMT money transfers or PayPal payments to cameramashow@gmail.com.
Future show dates are: Feb 09, 2025; June 8, 2025; and Sept 28, 2025.
Any questions or concerns, email Gary:
Gary Perry
Camerama Camera Show
email: cameramashow@gmail.com
Tom Spink’s BarberShop 1912 – ROBERT HOARE COLL. PROV. ARCHIVES OF ALBERTA
Toronto. Ever wonder what a barbershop looked like inside in say 1912? Thanks to photography, this bit of reminiscing is totally practical. In issue 16-2 of our journal, dated Sept/Oct 1990, editor Ev Roseborough collaborated with Brock Silversides and the Alberta Archives saying, “I would like to thank the Provincial Archives of Alberta and Brock Silversides, Senior Audio-visual Archivist for material and assistance … .”
The pair listed key photographers, each with a brief write-up and photo using material from the Archives as a basis.
In discussing Robert Hoare (1878-1964), who shot the Spink’s barbershop photo in 1912, they write “Gerald Robin O’Bryan Hoare (known to his friends as “Bob” and to posterity in general as “Robert”) was born in Hampshire, England in 1878. He and his elder brother came to Canada in 1900 as remittance men, taking out a homestead east of the village of Bowden.
“It was at this time that Robert opened his photographic studio which he operated during the first decade of the twentieth century, recording the people and events of Bowden and district. His photographic enterprise did not, however, prove a success for he was no businessman; he finally closed his studio in 1914.
“He continued to reside on his homestead where he indulged in his favourite hobby of gardening, and maintained his interest in photography. He died in Edmonton in 1964. Five years later his collection was deposited on permanent loan at the Provincial Archives by the Bowden Historical Society.” …
Members read the rest of this article and more in the pdf version of issue 16-2 on the PHSC DVD which is sent free to members (we are at issue 50-1 today). What! you aren’t a member! Hey why not? It’s easy and inexpensive – see the menu bar item above or the paragraphs at the right to join. Questions? Email our Membership Secretary, Lilianne Schneider at member@phsc.ca.
Williamson Kinematograph Co Tropical 35mm wooden cine camera that was probably made around 1911
Toronto. Our friends in Great Britain sent along the latest issue of The Photographic Collector’s Club of Great Britain (PCCGB) Tailboard (August 2024). We exchange newsletters with the PCCGB – and the odd article. The camera you see (left). is featured in an article on member Paul Godfrey.
While this is a cine camera, it was originally “acquired by John Barker around 1930 and was used to take three-in-a-strip walkies on the streets of Great Yarmouth and other towns [in Great Britain]”.
In this article Paul explains how he came to join the PCCGB and how he acquired this camera and its provenance.
Marche Aux Puces – Sunday morning flea market in Leige, Belgium. February 25, 1945 near the end of WW2
Toronto. It is sometimes said one person’s junk is another’s treasure. John Naslanic, past president and editor for MiPHS, suggests this in an 1990 article titled, “Collecting: This is not a museum- this junk is for sale.”
John’s article is at the height of camera and image collecting. He uses anecdotes and illustrations to make his case. His article on the subject begins, “Someone somewhere will collect almost anything and it’s a good thing that not everyone wants to same thing. With the coming of warm weather, the season for outdoor collecting has begun – garage sales, flea markets and antique shows.
“You may have heard of the ultimate down-east string saver, who tied every piece of string he found into a large ball. And on a shelf, he had a box marked: “Pieces of string too short to save.” Or the fellow who said,”They think I’m strange just because I like buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup.”His friend replies, “I like pancakes myself.” And the first fellow’s eyes brighten up and he says, “You do? You must see mine! I’ve got two closets full of ’em!”
“As you know by now, the world is divided into “tossers” and “savers”. The tosser says, “When in doubt, throw it out.” The tosser is always trying to borrow something from the saver, because he threw his away. The saver says, ” It is better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it,” and then looks for a place to put it.”
Members read the full article in the pdf format of issue 16-2 on the free to members PHSC DVD disk. What? You aren’t a member yet? No sweat! Signing up is easy and inexpensive. See the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above and the paragraphs to the right marked “Membership – Join or Renew!”. Any questions? Email our Membership Secretary, Lilianne Schneider at member@phsc.ca.
Viewing a card from the Italy boxed set of Underwood & Underwood stereo cards c1908
Toronto. People occasionally see a book-shaped box containing stereo cards – the pre-movie, pre-radio, pre-tv 3D entertainment phenomenon. Many name distributors of stereo cards took to box sets around the late 1800s. A detailed written guide was often available for a price to expand on each card.
Many boxed sets covered travel topics (like the Italy box being used by the viewer shown at left). Other boxed sets were of an educational nature, usually addressed to teachers.
Bob Wilson, in his Image of the Month column in issue 16-1 introduces an image demonstrating a typical boxed set, saying “Most stereo collectors, and certainly boxed set collectors would long to have a shelf like the one shown in this 1908 view by Underwood and Underwood [image at left].
“The main bookshelf, behind the man looking through the stereo viewer, contains 32 Underwood and Underwood boxed sets, with more in view on the second bookshelf farther back. He is looking at a stereo view from the Italy set, while consulting the guide book and referring to the view location on the map.
“Underwood and Underwood began publishing boxed sets of stereo cards in the late 1890’s. These usually contained 100 stereo views, but sets with as few as 12 cards were published. The cards were stored in boxes which resembled books from the end. The nominal 100 card set came in a box that looked like two books.
“The Italy Box that is open on the table in this view contains 100 cards. Along with most sets, Underwood and Underwood also published a descriptive guide book, although its purchase was optional.”
Yep! You guessed it. Members can view all of Bob’s column in the issue 16-1 pdf file on the (free to members) DVD. Non-members can sign up tout de suite using the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ item above on the menu bar or the ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ guideline to the right. It’s easy and inexpensive to be a member! Questions? Drop a line to Lilianne Schneider, our Membership Secretary at member@phsc.ca.
Visit our fall events to search out stereo cards (and other goodies) to fill the empty spots in your collection. Next up is our Fall Fair on October 20th.
Strand is simply the biggest, widest most commanding talent in the history of American photography.
– Susan Sontag, New York Review of Books
Toronto. About 50 years ago, I saw a few of the works of Paul Strand. His 1917 photograph of a blind woman shows up in many places. The photograph by Strand of people scurrying along Wall Street past the J P Morgan building two years earlier (titled Wall Street is even more compelling (to me).
But while many books show Strand’s work, there are few details of the man himself. In issue 16-1, editor Ev Roseborough adds two thought provoking articles, First is titled. “Strand – Under the Dark Cloth“. It offers excerpts from a review of John Walker’s film of the same name. The film premiered at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto in early 1990. The second of Ev’s articles, “Paul Strand, 1890-1976”, gives a thumb-nail history of the iconic photographer.
Note: The title of this post is a riff on a line in the Simon and Garfunkel song, “A Simple Desultory Philippic”, a satire of Bob Dylan sung here by S&G. The song appeared on the LP Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (which I have).
Members read the pdf version of issue 16-1 on the PHSC DVD (free to members). Not a member? Well it’s so easy (and cheap)! See the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above or the ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ paragraphs to the right of this web page, Questions? Drop an email to Lilianne Schneider, our Membership Secretary at member@phsc.ca.
I”ll end this post with another plug to visit our fall events, the next one being our Fall Fair on October 20th.
Toronto. William Christen sent off a note the other day to Cindy Motzenbecker and other MiPHS members announcing their fall fair on October 6, 2024 along with the postcard/poster shown here. Drop around and see what you can find to fill that gap in your collection.
Cindy Motzenbecker of MiPHS is well known to both the PHSC and the Daguerreian Society. Cindy has an extensive image collection which she has shared with others (She presented a selection of her image collection to us, via ZOOM back in April, 2023, and joined our Show and Tell in February of this year via ZOOM, amongst other talks/visits/posts).
The famous MiPHS show down in Royal Oaks, Michigan
C.E.F. Grenadier Guards 87th Battalion, in trenches together at Armentieres, Feb. 1915 – photo by Horace Brown. Courtesy: National Archives of Canada, Doc. Art and Photography Div., PA- I07237.
Toronto.In issue 15-5, another fine article by Andrew Rodger was reproduced from ‘Archivaria’, the magazine of the NAC up Ottawa way. The photo at left, adjusted in Topaz AI and Affinity Photo. is from Andrew’s article.
Andrew begins the article titled ‘Amateur Photography by Soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force‘, “At the outbreak of war in 1914, governments and military authorities in both Canada and Britain gave themselves very wide powers of control over publications and photography, the stated fear being that the enemy might learn valuable information through photographs.
“This fear was so exaggerated in Britain that, under the Defense of the Realm Act, photographers even found themselves “in conflict with authority for innocently portraying a peasant at work in the fields, or a fishing boat at sea. Moreover, military personnel were ignoring the General Routine Orders prohibiting “the taking of photographs and the send- ing of drawings and photographs to the Press.”
“Shortly after the Canadian Expeditionary Force arrived in France, Routine Order 189 ordered that “all cameras are to be sent home, each camera being examined by the censor before the parcel is passed by him, to ensure that there is no film in it.”
Members could read the full article in the pdf file for issue 15-5 on the ‘free to members’ DVD. Not yet a member? See the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ menu item above and/or the Membership paragraph at the right and sign up today! Questions? Give Lilianne Schneider, our Membership Secretary, an email at member@phsc.ca.
Of course collectors should attend our fall events to check out the photography items that just might suit their collection. Next up is our fall fair on October 20th. A poster with details goes up on the site here in mid September.
Note: the title of this post is a riff on the film title, “Oh! What a Lovely War“.
Click the above icon to download the form and mail a copy with your cheque. You can include your donation with the join/renew form too.
Stan White – Poems & Photos
