Category Archives: history

we usually eat our peppers …

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Edward Weston (1886 – 1958) was a famous American photographer. in 1973 I bought a coffee table sized book celebrating 50 years of his work including a biography written by Ben Maddow and published by Aperture Books. The 285 page … Continue reading →

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if you can read …

Posted on May 3, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. … you can learn! Or so the American “Famous”schools touted last century.  Famous Artists School and Famous Writers School operated by correspondence on the premise that reading could make you an artist or writer.  In the same spirit, Famous … Continue reading →

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bakelite beauties

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Leo Baekeland was born in 1863 in the Belgian city of Ghent. As a professor of physics and chemistry, he and his wife visited American universities in 1889 and he joined the photographic firm of E and H T … Continue reading →

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holy mouse-traps, Batman!

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Sitting comfortably on vacation on the shores of Lake Como, Henry painted the lush Italian landscape. 1834 was a wonderful year. As he idly dreamed, he thought about ways to capture the scene without recourse to his brushes. Back … Continue reading →

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have camera, will travel

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. The dirty ’30s! What a terrible time. What a wonderful time. Itinerant photographers, known since the beginning of the art, roamed the streets searching for a buck. Many had just a camera plus a pony and assistant for a … Continue reading →

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village people

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Ever hear of the Chautauqua movement? I didn’t either! It was an American organization that expanded into Ontario at Niagara-on-the-Lake. George Dunbar wrote, “A friend sent me this link to the history of Chautauqua, Niagara-on-the-Lake. Some interesting old photographs here. To … Continue reading →

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toys for little boys

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Sawyers of View-Master fame were justifiably proud of using Kodak products. This link is to a review of the talk we heard on September 20, 2006 by Mary Ann and Wolfgang Sell, members of the NSA and View-Master experts. An advertisement … Continue reading →

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another high flyer

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. American photographer and LIFE photographer, Margaret Bourke-White was very popular mid last century. I wrote a post on her back in March 18, 2019 of last year. This photo (at left) shows her high above NYC using a press … Continue reading →

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taking a bite in the big apple

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. This photo was taken in 1932 by an unknown photographer,  It shows a bunch of skyscraper workers sitting out in space along a girder as they eat lunch high above NYC at a time when many skyscrapers were being … Continue reading →

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1906 – a bad year for San Francisco

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. We often feature photographers here. This time it is the German/American Arnold Genthe. He had the fortune (misfortune?) to be in San Francisco in 1906 when a devastating earthquake struck California near that city. Genthe’s photos are available on … Continue reading →

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