Author Archives: Robert

box it up

Toronto. You may have never before heard of a camera called the Micro-16. This little gem, advertised on page 199 in the December 1946 issue of Popular Photography, was only around for five years – 1946 – 1950. It is … Continue reading

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caution, curves ahead.

Toronto. Traditional lens elements (before aspheric surfaces became economical) were all slices of a sphere making curvature of field common. Some added elements resolved this aberration to give a flat field at the film/sensor plane. Some cameras use a curved … Continue reading

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thanks, Helen

Toronto. The CDV is roughly a large size business card with a photo mounted on thick card stock. Studios produced them in the 1850s/1860s by the dozens. People sent them to friend and relatives but few identified the person and … Continue reading

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it pays to advertise

Toronto, In 1921, the Mission Art Company, of South Spring Street in Los Angeles sent this  truck cum camera and its phtographers to promote its business. Mark Osterman, who along with his wife, spoke to us back in June of … Continue reading

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a little slip of a thing …

Toronto. … said my mother in describing a skinny young girl. She could just as easily have been describing a Waterhouse stop, or a leaf in a photographic iris diaphragm. In fact, have you ever wondered when and who invented … Continue reading

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The Amalgamated Photo History Newsletters Vol 2-6 (June 2021)

Toronto. The PHOTOGRAM for July 2010 is reproduced by permission here in our special members-only supplement. Also editor Lansdale added information on the HICO camera and related colour process. As a member of the PHSC, you received this supplement Monday, the … Continue reading

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monochrome memories

Toronto. Snapshots are a visual family history. Without them we have no way to tell how our ancestors looked, worked, partied, vacationed, lived, etc. Or what pets and possessions were special to them. The late Brian Coe knew this when … Continue reading

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let Ed do it

Toronto. One of the best known photographers in America was Edward Weston. I have a massive coffee table size book simply titled “Edward Weston: Fifty Years“. Published in 1973 by Aperture in the States, I bought my copy  new a … Continue reading

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when it all began

Toronto. Collectors and photo enthusiasts seldom remember Robert Hunt, an enthusiastic amateur photographer. Other prominent folk at the beginning of photography like Daguerre, Talbot, and Herschel are all well known for various reasons. Daguerre of course for his pre-eminent Daguerreotype … Continue reading

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cross purposes?

Toronto. On page 9 in the April 1946 issue of Popular Photography, a company called De Mornay-Budd based in NYC, took out a large advertisement for an unusual Leica/Contax series of viewfinders. The viewfinder mounted on the camera’s accessory shoe … Continue reading

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