Category Archives: history

before we had Xerox …

Posted on August 4, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Before we had the modern Xerox copiers,  photography helped businesses make decent copies, A brief article in the August, 1939 issue of Popular Mechanics describes a special camera that was considered ‘portable’ and printed directly to special paper. A … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on before we had Xerox …

rolling with the punches

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. This ad appeared in the September, 1939 issue of Popular Mechanics. At the time, Burleigh Brooks was the American importer of various German cameras including the Rollei. This ad was likely submitted about 3 months earlier in June of … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on rolling with the punches

lens board connects to the lens mount

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. For most of the 1800s and early 1900s, cameras had a focussing means situated between the lens board and the media making the media-to-lens distance relatively unimportant. However; when camera bodies became rigid and the focussing means moved to … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on lens board connects to the lens mount

a wonderful view

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s, the view camera was a popular camera design. Everyone knew a wooden box and bellows on a tripod meant a photographer was at work! The view camera was rather simple in … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on a wonderful view

see anyone you know?

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In the late 1960s and early 1970s when camera collecting took off, a subset of collectors included photos in their collection. I think it was a bit random at the beginning, then collectors realized cased images like daguerreotypes and … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on see anyone you know?

puppy love

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In the 1930s when this ad was displayed (May, 1939 issue of Popular Mechanics) Graflex was a stand alone company once again and worked hard to gain access to the amateur photographers in America. The company ran photo contests … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on puppy love

not all bad

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. The great depression was a nightmare for most folks, culminating in the second world war. A sliver of silver lining in the gloomy clouds of depression was the fall in most retail prices. By June of 1939, even the … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on not all bad

before we had polaroid cameras

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Robert

Toronto.  George Dunbar in his search of old magazines for ads and articles relevant to photography often finds unusual stories and cameras. For example, the June, 1939 Popular Mechanics magazine had a filler article called, “Two-Minute Photo Printed in Portable … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on before we had polaroid cameras

Communications courageous

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. When photography was first announced back in January, 1839, the world was ecstatic. Samuel F. B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph, was visiting France that year and brought the Daguerreotype process back home with him to America. It was … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Communications courageous

8mm to the rescue

Posted on July 24, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. By 1932, the world’s worst ever depression was well underway. Jobs were lost in droves. Fortunes disappeared literally overnight. Buying on margin became an instant pariah. Photo industry companies used novel ideas kept some of the amateur photographers active. … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 8mm to the rescue