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

keeping an eye out

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Robert

October 1925 ad for Eyemo movie cameras by Bell & Howell

Toronto. Ahhh! The roaring twenties. What a great time to be alive (according to the movies). Radio was invented a few years earlier, automobiles had been around for a couple of decades, aircraft were experimental, movies were silent, TV not around (thank god!), and practical photography was nearly 90 years old.

All photography at the time was film based and used sensitive material needing a tripod (especially at night and indoors) for the what is now excruciatingly slow media (about ISO 100 tops).

In 1925, Bell & Howell promoted their new line of Eyemo Movie cameras with ads like this one in the October issue of American Cinematographer magazine.

I am indebted to my good friend and fellow photographic enthusiast, George Dunbar, for unearthing and sharing this bit of history about cameras made so long ago.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on keeping an eye out

sky high amusement 1930s style

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Robert

passengers while away the time when flying high above the ocean

Toronto. This pictorial courtesy of the Illustrated London News in 1930 shows the inside of a transcontinental aircraft – very cramped unlike today’s wide bodied aircraft – and the use of an amateur projector to show movies while flying over the Atlantic. In this photo, a curtain obscures all but a slice of the bottom of the screen.

In the 1930s, one had to be rather wealthy to fly, not like today where the aircraft are more in line with bus service.

My thanks to our good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, for suggesting this photo and the history it displays to passengers of aircraft.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on sky high amusement 1930s style

swan song – PHSC News newsletter for April 2022

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Robert

something’s wrong with this picture …

Toronto. The Canon EOS 7D L shown here is from the right top of page 1 in this month’s PHSC News newsletter. What is odd, is that like the Exakta, this camera is for the 15% who are left handed!

Guess what? It’s April, 2022 already. We are anxiously waiting for COVID and all its baggage to disappear.

On a somber note, our editor, Sonja Pushchak, signed off with this issue. We wish her all the best in the coming months and years. Her sharp wit and talented way with words will be missed by most of us. She and her team have produced this great  issue of PHSC News for you.  PHSC News (21-10) has the usual bunch of articles – short, crisp, and ripe for argument. Take a few moments and read them and feel inspired (or somewhat irritated) once again. This issue is slightly abbreviated at eight pages.

ENDNOTE on page 1 is Ms Pushchak’s last write-up. Page 2 in “PHSC PRESENTS (LIVE)” is the poster for our auction in early May. Page 3,  under PHOTOBOOK 101, suggests “Slightly More Truthful Books on Photography“ with different words implied on the front cover of four popular books. STRONG WOMEN  on page 4, in, “A Slicker Picker-Upper and the Mother of the Striptease” reviews the collection of photos featuring female weight lifters.

In David’s EQUIPMENT REVIEW on page 5 (with upbeat and cheeky wording) shows how old SCSI negative scanners can be reused with free drivers (thanks to the likes of VueScan). John Morden’s trio of WEB LINKS on page 6 are all worth a visit  (the links are live, no need to ‘cut and paste’).

Page 7 is our poster for the special late April speaker event via ZOOM. The seminar, in collaboration with ESHPh and Dr Hanin Hannouch, is on three colour photography c1900. Sadly, our friends Ivy & Izzy, have disappeared with Sonja. We wrap up this issue on page 8 with John’s compilation of shows, want ads, books, and exhibitions of interest to collectors & photographers everywhere.

P.S. As usual, every link shown in the newsletter is a hot link just waiting for your click!

P.P.S. You can visit this issue by clicking here, or by g0ing to the menu item NEWSLETTER at the top of the page. There is a drop down menu that takes you to older issues dating back a couple of decades to the very beginning.

Note: The ‘swan song’ in the title also refers to the late Donald Swann who wrote the music for all ‘Flanders and Swann’ performances and recordings (At the Drop of a Hat). Here is a sample – the Hippopotamus Song.

Posted in newsletter | Tagged , , | Comments Off on swan song – PHSC News newsletter for April 2022

spring auction May 7, 2022

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Robert

Spring and our estate auction is here!

Toronto.  Spring is in the air and we are holding our FIRST INDOOR AUCTION since COVID raised its ugly head! Remember, its a SURE sign of spring when we host our (PHSC) spring auction! This year we will be holding it on SATURDAY, May 7, 2022 down in the Long Branch area of Toronto at the usual venue – free parking and free admission.

This Estate Auction will be simply terrific – rare items and  user items for both film and digital folk – photographs, cameras, lenses, accessories, books, and more. Come out and enjoy this event while adding to your collection or user gear! Click on the icon at left for details and directions.

Everybody is welcome. Sorry, no consignment lots at the door.  All lots are ESTATE Lots – really good items, many very rare. First come first serve.

Our first, second, and third sample lot photos (190+ items) are shown below. This completes the slide show. We owe a big thanks to Clint for photographing this incredible series of examples. Click on the photo below, then on the beautiful APO SIGMA ZOOM lens, and then on any lot icon to see it larger. Your left/right arrows will work to move from one enlarged photo to another. Enjoy!

Posted in activities | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on spring auction May 7, 2022

perhaps well named?

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Robert

A 1925 ad for the Debrie “interview”, model E movie camera


Toronto. The December 1925 issue of American Cinematographer carried an ad for the Debrie Interview, model E camera called “The Greatest of all Motion Picture cameras”. It was said to be ‘light’ at 14 pounds. With a body made of  ‘5 ply walnut’ it was claimed to withstand ‘all climatic changes’.

While I have never heard of Andre Debrie or his cameras, apparently they were rather rare. Collectors valued a 1908 model of the ‘Interview’ camera at around 2,000 USD a couple of decades ago.

I guess a 14 pound, 8x10x6 inch camera would hardly be called ‘light’ today in this age of smartphone video technology! Selfies anyone?

Our thanks to good friend George Dunbar for sharing this piece of history with us.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on perhaps well named?

April 29, 2022 ESHPh-PHSC Presentation

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. The PHSC and ESHPh present TECHNOLOGIES, EXPEDITIONS, EMPIRES – Three-Colour Photography around 1900. An International ZOOM Symposium this Friday APRIL 29, 2022 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm (EDT). Hosted by Dr Hanin Hannouch (Vienna) and moderated by Sarah Hart (Carlton University) and Dr Elizabeth Cronin (NYPL).

Register and see more about the event on EventBrite here. Problems or questions, email our programme coordinator at program@phsc.ca. (I used the poster courtesy of Sonja Pushchak converted to JPG format so the links do not work).

Posted in program | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on April 29, 2022 ESHPh-PHSC Presentation