Category Archives: history

octagon and octopus

Posted on June 6, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. One of the Art Deco features Kodak used was an octagonal shutter plate at the front of some cameras. This included the Kodak Brownie Six-20 folder my dad bought in the late 30s and used until he gave it … Continue reading →

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daguerreotypist dreamin

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Do you ever wonder what a dag photographer might dream about while sitting on a grassy knoll in the bright sunlight? If he was a futurist like the fictional  Ralph 124C41+ by Hugo Gernsback or the real Alvin Toffler … Continue reading →

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a boy and his camera

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. When the dirty 30s hit, people had to repair and reuse things – money was tight. Even photographers like John Boyd were affected. John was working for the Globe and Mail at the time. Over his 40 year career, … Continue reading →

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pictures at the fair

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. For a time a visit to a fair, arcade, amusement park, seaside, etc. could be commemorated by a tiny strip of photos for a quarter or so. There so called photo booths allowed a couple to sit in privacy … Continue reading →

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reach for da sky!

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Bob Lansdale wanted to add more balance to the journal with some ‘camera’ related articles. He was delighted to learn of the massive and exotic collection held by the late  Bill (father) and late John (son) down in the … Continue reading →

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when Kodak met art …

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. … deco that is. In the 1930s and 40s the striking designs of Art Deco were a key factor in the cameras offered by Kodak. Our late editor, Bob Lansdale explains, “When Modernism blossomed in the 1930s, Eastman Kodak … Continue reading →

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making a woodie that works

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. While teaching at Humber College, PHSC member (and speaker) Neil Fox taught photography. He had his students construct their own ‘woodie’ to learn the art from the ground up. In the 1800s, skill in carpentry and bellows layout allowed … Continue reading →

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dark s(l)ide

Posted on May 29, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Leon Warnerke was a UK based “Entrepreneur/Inventor Extraordinaire [and] Royal Photographic Society Progress Medallist”. Photographic Canadiana, issue 32-1, dated May/June 2006 carries the story of this UK immigrant and his dark underside. The story is introduced by our late … Continue reading →

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a couple of bills …

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. I learnt a lot about my homeland from Bob Lansdale. Bob was devoted to promoting Canadian photographic inventions, studios, and photographers. When he stewarded our journal, Photographic Canadiana, he went the extra length to research and promote any and … Continue reading →

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multi-tasking over a century ago

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Around 1900, a rare Goerz combination camera/opera glass/field glass was sold. The gadget, made in Berlin by C P Goerz, was not very popular at the  time. Similar gadgets were created and sold both before and after. As opera/field … Continue reading →

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