Category Archives: history

a boatload of testosterone

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto.  Our past president and friend Les Jones sent me this interesting photograph from the Rare Historical Photos website showing American troops arriving home on the Queen Elizabeth. Les is both a sports photographer and an author. I had an … Continue reading →

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mille feuille

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In the spring of 1944, it seemed as if everyone wanted to make photographic paper, especially the fast variety suitable for enlarging (slower contact paper worked but took minutes of exposure, not seconds). In the 1950s, only the larger … Continue reading →

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a sharper kind of light

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Photography demands light, but so do other optical devices such as light microscopes. The resolution limit of light microscopes has usually been the light itself, forcing a transition to other devices such as an electron microscope if increased resolution … Continue reading →

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brick by brick

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The photograph at left was faded and damaged, but I still bought it (cheap) at the Thornhill, Ontario Antique place the end of July, 1976 because it was unusual. Firstly, it was taken out doors and secondly it showed … Continue reading →

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feeling liverish?

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Well, in the late 1800s/early 1900s in Quebec City that likely meant you had an urge to have a likeness taken at the Livernois Studio. Many of the photographs taken by the Livernois family can be found at the … Continue reading →

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brave new world again

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Well into WW2, Kodak took this ad out in the January 1944 issue of Popular Photography showing how research by their labs resulted in lens technology that out performed the German industry and led to superior fire power when … Continue reading →

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Kalart saves the day

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. When I was a kid, I saw small ads in the American photography magazines of the day for a Kalart rangefinder to bolt on to a press camera. The strange name caught my eye. This particular ad is for … Continue reading →

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Kodak shows its mettle

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I often make derogatory sounding comments about Kodak, but the company was a force in the industry and for many decades a true leader. Few others had the support and customer base to create new film sizes. In fact … Continue reading →

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a positive spin on WW2

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Ilex of Rochester NY ran this ad in the February 1944 issue of Popular Photography. The company bravely said, “When war clouds clear **look to Ilex”. The Ilex Optical Company in Rochester made “lenses, shutters, gunsights, and other precision … Continue reading →

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Leica in Peace and War

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Before and for awhile after the second world war, the Leica was the most popular high-end 35mm camera sold. As many readers know, before WW2, the German camera industry was the undisputed world leader. During WW2, German technology was … Continue reading →

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