will do anything to get a sale

Posted on May 10, 2022 by Robert

summer of 1941 ad for one kind of “Midget Marvel” camera

Toronto, The August, 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics ran an advertisement for a camera called the “Midget Marvel”. It was offered for less than $9 American including the leather case.

Some different cameras used the same name, so I am unsure which one is this camera.

However, given the price, specifications and included leather case, I suspect it is an imported remaindered camera. It looks a bit like a Wirgin camera – the post by the viewfinder may have supported an optional rangefinder … Never heard of a ‘Vario‘ shutter before but they were around for awhile.

My thanks to good friend, George Dunbar, for sharing this advertisement with us.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on will do anything to get a sale

Canadian female photographer from BC

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Robert

a 1908 photograph by Agnes Deans Cameron courtesy of the Canadian Museum of History

Toronto. Do you remember Ms Agnes Deans Cameron? No? Well, she was a prominent photographer out west, known for her work as a  “teacher, journalist, explorer, writer, lecturer & photographer”.

You can learn more about this wonderful lady at the ABC Book World web site, or the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.

Once again we must thank our good friend, George Dunbar, for sharing this story with us.

 

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Canadian female photographer from BC

twenty-six and counting

Posted on May 8, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. It was our twenty-sixth  executive meeting via ZOOM last Wednesday evening.

The APRIL  EVENT was a huge international success. Celio graciously added a streaming video of the event to our YouTube channel. You can reach it via our web site (right hand sidebar) or click here.

The MAY EVENT will be on the evening of May 18 when the Reverend, Dr Max Dionisio, head of the ROM library (Royal Ontario Museum Library) speaks on 19th century Japanese Photography and some recent acquisitions to the library. Once it’s posted to Eventbrite you can sign in (free).

The SPRING FAIR  this year will be indoors where we hold our auction (NEW FAIR VENUE). And it will be a bit later than usual on JUNE 11th.

Our TRUNK SALE is on JULY 9th this year and as usual, it will be outdoors at Trident Hall. Watch for details.

Finally, PHSC News will have a new editor for this month. Clint is making arrangements. Sonja has decided to call it a day after doing the newsletter for nearly six years (September 2016 to March 2022, plus a bit of April). This is issue 16-4 through 21-10.

our Executive at the ZOOM meeting for May 2022

 

Posted in activities | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on twenty-six and counting

Canada, eh?

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Robert

Michel Lambeth, St. Nil, Gaspé, Quebec, County of Matane, 1965, printed 1978 by Michael Torosian gelatin silver print, 35.4 × 27.9 cm; image: 25.2 × 19 cm
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography

Toronto. My good friend, George Dunbar, came across this captivating article by Martha Langford titled “A Short History of Photography, 1900–2000” at my old Alma Mater (well, I attended SGWU which combined a few years later with Loyola to create Concordia University).

Have a read and see the striking photographs Ms Langford included in her paper.

While we haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Michel Lambert, nor a person from the CMCP as yet, we did host a talk by Michael Torosianin April of 2009 .

Posted in activities-other | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Canada, eh?

variations on a theme

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Robert

Article on a French camera that takes nine shot on one plate or piece of film

Toronto. In the early 1900s, Butcher in London, England sold a “Royal Mail Camera” that used multiple lenses to create as many as 15 postage stamp size images on one small  plate.

The July, 1934 issue of Popular Mechanics has an article about a French camera which is like Butcher’s but with a twist. Nine different photographs can be taken on one plate or film. The single lens is moved to each of nine spots and used. Unused spots are covered so the shutter exposes only through the lens.  Have read …

Once again, we must thank our intrepid researcher, George Dunbar, for sharing his delicious find with us.

 

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on variations on a theme

stills from movies

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Robert

A 1929 enlarger to print stills from movie frames

Toronto. A few years ago, at our PHSC monthly meetings (when we met in person – ie pre-COVID) my good friend Ed Warner took videos of each presentation and could easily snap stills without affecting the digital video he was creating.

This article, however, describes a time when special cameras recorded movies on film, After processing and reversing  them, a film projector showed the tiny transparencies enlarged a 100 fold or more to be seen in a darkened room full of people.

Years before the iconic Leica sparked the minicam revolution and enlarging switched from optional to mandatory, Bell and Howell offered a gadget that would enlarge and print any frame from a movie – running on a B&H projector of course.

This article in the April, 1929 edition of American Cinematographer describes the B&H gadget in some detail. Thanks are owing to my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, for sending me this article which he found as he pursued magazines for ads and articles about (now) historic photographica.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on stills from movies

do you remember these two characters?

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Robert

A famous duo that made movies into the 1950s. Shown here in 1929

Toronto. Movies used lots of stills taken by various professional photographers. In the fall of 1929, a photograph of Stan and Ollie graced the cover of the magazine, “American Cinematographer”.

Taken months before the fall and published just before the market crash that ushered in the world’s greatest depression.  This sorry state of the world wide economy lasted until ww2 activated our North American economy. In North America, the post war boom continued throughout my youth outlasting even the antics of Stan and Ollie.

My thanks to my good friend and fellow photo enthusiast, George Dunbar, for sharing this find and bringing back memories of a by-gone era known colloquially as the “dirty thirties”, a hot bed for many famous photographers and photographs, especially in America.

 

 

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on do you remember these two characters?

greasing the game

Posted on May 3, 2022 by Robert

one of the photos under the hammer – Greece by Henri Cartier-Bresson

Toronto. Our friends at the Daguerreian Society are hosting an on line fair on the 14th and 15th of this month. Here is another chance to augment your collection.

Daguerreian Society members can see the lot items before the auction.

 

Posted in activities-other | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on greasing the game

bridging the gap

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Robert

Capilano Suspension Bridge in BC – Vintage Photograph

Toronto.  The site, , shows these photos of the Capilano Suspension Bridge around 1900. The site heading says, “These vintage photographs capture people crossing the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, 1890-1910”. 

These photographs are both vintage and Canadian in content. Take a look at the site. Perhaps you can find other photographs that show your homeland too!

We owe George Dunbar a debt of gratitude for sharing his discovery on this site with us. Thanks, George, from the bottom of our heart!

 

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on bridging the gap

checking shutter sync a half century plus ago

Posted on May 1, 2022 by Robert

getting things in sync …

Toronto. In the dying days of WW2, an article was printed in Popular Mechanics showing an impromptu way to ‘test’ a shutter – flash synchronization. The February, 1945 issue suggests photographing a flash bulb with caution and slow film to check the shutter sync for a particular camera/shutter/lens combination…

A clever idea by the look of it. The aricle surfaced through the diligent searches of my good friend, George Dunbar. George generously shared the article with me to pass it along. George and I were both kids back in 1945, but years later shutter (and lens)  testing was a big deal for serious amateurs. Testing the accuracy of my Exakta shutter brought to light its potential failure.

One of the brass shutter stops was almost cut off. Ironically, when I visited a friend back home (another George) who also had an Exakta of the same vintage, I learnt his shutter had actually failed and had had to be repaired by him as the ribbon on one curtain was broken in two.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on checking shutter sync a half century plus ago