A bronze casting of a sailing ship as a night-light c1945
Toronto. When I was a kid around the end of WW2, my dad took me to visit a relative who had a metal casting business, Bill made sailing ship lights, ‘doggie’ banks, souvenir lights, etc. like the sailing ship light shown here. He used something called a lost-wax process to cast his wares, mostly in bronze.
Seeing the items Bill made in the 1940s, reminded me of the thick catalogues of the day which contained photographs of hundreds and hundreds of items, each with specifications and price (of course). Such photography is another example of how photographers and studios carefully work with other industries. In this case to produce product photos for catalogues, brochures, advertisements, and more.
In fact, one of our editors, the late Ev Roseborough, did considerable catalogue work for major department stores who had large mail-order clientele beyond the city. The capturing of retail items for these catalogues etc. was a busy industry in the days of film. Today, many products are on the internet but photographers (mainly digital) remain very active providing the necessary images. Different times. Different processes.
