Monthly Archives: July 2020

at yer Beck and call …

Posted on July 31, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. You may have come across a British camera called a Cornex or one by Houghton’s called a British Ensign. Both camera lines were made by a microscope manufacturer on Cornhill Street in London, England. It was not uncommon for … Continue reading →

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a photograph never lies …

Posted on July 30, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. As a kid  some 70+ years ago, this was a common bromide, “a photograph never lies”.  As I grew older and learned to develop my own prints, I learned that photographs could and did lie!  Most negatives were simply … Continue reading →

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minicams and interchangeability

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. The 35mm cameras were off and running in the late 1920s. Leitz touted their Leica as a precision camera and set out to compete with the physically far bigger cameras of the day, claiming that a small negative could … Continue reading →

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swinging ’60s

Posted on July 28, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. The swinging ’60s! What a glorious time to be alive! In that era Polaroid introduced it’s most popular camera of all, the Swinger. This simplified camera took black and white photos, developed outside the camera and gave you a … Continue reading →

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why the tripod?

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Did you ever wonder why so many old photos and drawings of cameras in use showed a tripod? Until the dry-plate era, the media were so insensitive that it took  seconds or minutes in bright light to record the … Continue reading →

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who you gonna call

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. was a line from the GhostBusters theme. Roy Parker Jr wrote the catchy little tune for the 1984 movie “GhostBusters” which became a popular computer game. And for photo historians and photographica collectors these days it is indeed apt. … Continue reading →

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the keepers of night

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Since photography began there was always some means to keep the plates or film protected from the light.  When the Leica and its competitors arrived. Leitz made a very heavy and elaborate reusable cassette that opened only in-camera as … Continue reading →

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top this!

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film, it was common to have contests. One such contest was for the best table-top photo. Author, Sports-photographer, and past PHSC president Les Jones sent me a note the other day along with this link … Continue reading →

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stick a cabinet in your pocket

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. With the advent of wet plate technology, the number of photographers increased once again. Albumen paper for positive prints became very popular in spite of the need to glue down the curl-prone medium to stiff cardboard. The so called … Continue reading →

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a bit of Americana

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. For all you image collectors out there – if you collect or want some Americana, there is an auction next month (August 8th) online managed by American Heritage Auctions. Their catalogue for the August 8th auction is now online. … Continue reading →

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