Author Archives: Robert

the importance of being fixed

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. By 1802, the sensitivity of silver halides to light was known in scientific circles. Thomas Wedgwood managed to make ‘photograms‘ – silhouettes on leather but could not make the photograms permanent. The delicate images – even kept in darkness … Continue reading →

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disappearing heirlooms

Posted on November 24, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. We have all seen Victorian Photo Albums chock full of CDVs etc. at fairs, auctions, and sometimes used goods stores. The albums came along around the mid 1800s when cheap CDVs became available and a place to store and … Continue reading →

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celebrity endorsements

Posted on November 23, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In the early days of minicams, makers used explorers and others who demanded perfection under extreme conditions. Post war. celebrities became popular in ads as if they used the cameras shown. Naive folk seeing the ad might choose a … Continue reading →

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before TV; before video;

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. … we had home movies. Originally 16mm, during the depression Kodak began selling 8mm versions and post war in a scramble to expand market size and improve image quality, Kodak moved to ‘Super 8’. In the late 1930s, Kodachrome … Continue reading →

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days of war surplus photo supplies and gear

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Some of us may remember the days when the local war surplus store had stocks of photo paper, film, chemicals, equipment, etc. at big discounts since the cost was already paid once by tax dollars. This November, 1947 American … Continue reading →

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a beacon in the dark

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Another American company, Whitehouse Products, in Brooklyn took a shot at the American photography market with its cheap plastic camera, the Beacon. The Beacon was simply a box camera tarted up like a minicam. It retailed for about 8 … Continue reading →

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what goes around …

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. … comes around. The cirkut cameras must be very attractive to collectors – I have about 10 posts on them. Wednesday, November 16th, we had an interesting presentation on Cirkut and Panoramic cameras and Cirkut kits by Christopher Creighton. … Continue reading →

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Larry Towell Book Signing: November 26th, 2022, 2-5pm

Posted on November 18, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. The Stephen Bulger Gallery announces a book signing by Canadian photographer and author, Larry Towell on the 26th of this month. Anyone around the GTHA on the 26th should drop by Stephen’s gallery in Toronto and meet photographer Larry … Continue reading →

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flattened

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Wow! Just over a century ago Steichen photographed the then recently completed ‘flatiron’ building in NYC (so called from its shape – we have a similar building here). According to the article, “Edward Steichen’s The Flatiron, an iconic photo of … Continue reading →

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Bob Chambers 1939 – 2022

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. We were sorry to hear from son-in-law Graham Yeates that Bob Chambers had passed away this November 10th. Bob spoke to the PHSC back in 2011 along with  fellow photographer and speaker, Tom Bochsler, both of the Hamilton/Niagara  area. It … Continue reading →

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