Category Archives: history

P is for permanent

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Past president of the PHSC, sports photographer, and author, Les Jones,  dropped me an email the other day. As an ex-pat from England, Les enjoys reading British papers. A recent article in the Guardian by Christopher Thomond titled “‘Prints … Continue reading →

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member number 5

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, camera collecting and photo history became the rage. Societies were being formed, fairs held, books written, etc. Our society and its Toronto branch were founded in the fall of 1974. Amongst other things members … Continue reading →

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a weird little camera …

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. … from a fair nearly three decades ago. The photographs and text by Bob Lnsdale appear in issue 21-4. The writing for this camera says, “Mystery ‘Argus’ camera which has brevittato stamped on the front (Italian for patented). With an Equator … Continue reading →

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Evangeline, 1913 Movie

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. You likely think of Hollywood when you think of films/movies but we also produced movies beginning with Evangeline in 1913. In issue 21-2, (Sep.Oct 1995) Ev devoted a number of pages to the centenary of motion pictures in Canada,  His … Continue reading →

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mirror, mirror in the box

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. When the minicams arrived in the late 1920s, the fancier ones used a rangefinder for sharp focus of the chosen subject. A few years later, high end minicams like the Leitz Leica, Zeiss Contax, etc.  accepted interchangeable lenses. It … Continue reading →

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… down in the woods today …

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. The photo at left is another bit of family history showing a group of relatives congregating in the woods for a picnic. Photo collectors often choose pricier photos from two centuries ago for their collection, over looking cheaper ‘snap … Continue reading →

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a collection like no other

Posted on February 3, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Do you know we Canadians have a national collection of papers, photos, and physical objects in Ottawa’s National Museum of Science and Technology (now named Ingenium)? Or that the Museum is a member of the PHSC? The image at … Continue reading →

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some deep thoughts

Posted on February 2, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. PHSC past president and sports photographer (especially soccer), Les Jones, sent me an interesting email the other day. Les writes, “In addition to the Kaleidotrope, I had something that I assumed was incomplete. A wider than normal wooden holder … Continue reading →

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what the hey?

Posted on February 1, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. By the mid last century, all families had cameras thanks to Kodak and its competitors. Family photographers weren’t that interested in resolution or contrast. A good shot was one that turned out – you could see and recognize people … Continue reading →

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a Danish treat

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. When Ev was our editor, one of our exchange journals was the Danish publication “Objektiv”. Ev prided himself in the ability to read other languages, including Danish in this case. In his Editor’s Notebook for issue 20-5,  Ev recounted … Continue reading →

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