another brass Camera Lucida over a century old – courtesy of Les Jones
Toronto. No, not the TV series, “I Love Lucy”, and the madcap antics of Lucille Ball, her husband Desi, and friends. but the tiny drawing aid, the camera lucida. In an earlier post this year (Feb 19th, 2023) titled simply Lucy, I noted the relationship this brass accessory has to photography and the negative/positive process we grew up with in the days of film.
My friend Les Jones, who provided the image for this post, said along with the images, “I have a couple of old ones – always been fascinated by them”. I have the one shown in the ‘Lucy’ post in a wooden case with a green velvet interior. At the time I acquired it, the late Bill Belier mentioned his interest in the little brass device – some 4 decades or so back. I also have three that fit microscopes. They are much newer (used with slides to draw objects seen in a microscope).
The original Camera Lucida is another tiny bit of photographic history, a painter’s aid that sparked the idea of a fundamental system of photography used for over a century and a half. The ‘lucida and an inquisitive and creative English gentleman created an enduring concept; one used by niche enthusiasts in this time of digital technology.
Browse our auction and fair this fall – you may just find one for your collection.
