exploded A490 Canon camera
Toronto. Peter Tchaikovsky wrote the hauntingly beautiful 1812 Overture using cannons to punctuate parts of his opus.
Modern ensembles make do with kettle drums. All this came to mind when George Dunbar sent me the image of an exploded Canon Power Shot A490.
The camera was disassembled and framed by his grand-daughter as a Christmas gift to George.
An interesting memento for a professional photographer!
portrait of a native Alaskan taken over a century ago
Toronto. In the late 1950s I worked in Labrador and at a Christmas concert in Schefferville, Quebec. Some of the girls sang this song which Johnny Cash recorded in 1965.
This tune came to mind when my friend Harold Staats showed one of his finds at our December meeting. This was just one of the professional portraits Harold found in an old Alaskan album. The photograph is attributed to Albert J Johnson.
Harold mentioned a second west coast photographer, George E Cantwell. who lived in Alaska and the Yukon territory.
Items for our 2019 show and tell night. Photo shows the silent auction things.
Toronto. At our December meeting we try to have a silent auction. 2019 was no exception.
Lots of things for consideration.
All funds were donated to the PHSC, of course.
People jotted their name and a price over the evening. At the end of the night, the highest bidder won the item.
Toronto. All the best for the new year from PHSC members and executive.
Click the card below to visit our source website.
hand coloured Ambrotype of a soldier in uniform
Toronto. At the December meeting, Clint showed a second image after the Keystone Eye Comfort series. This image is an Ambrotype (c1850 – 60s) of a soldier.
The image is hand coloured with tiny gilt trim on the buttons. A member of the audience suggested it was a portrait of an Irish soldier. No one could identify him by name or his rank, campaign, etc.
If you think you know or do for sure, drop me a line and I will pass the message to Clint.
Book with photos and biography of Boris Spremo
Toronto. Boris spoke with the PHSC at our March 2001 meeting. His book was underway when he died and his girls completed it.
At our December meeting daughter Diana did a presentation on the book and Boris. She has a natural talent as a speaker. The book is a limited publication and is available via this website while copies remain.
Boris was well known for his photographic talent.
Keystone Eye Comfort series
Toronto. In 1936, Keystone, the huge publisher and seller of stereo cards and viewers, embarked on some health oriented offerings including a special card series called Eye Comfort. This series came in a smart box with the stereo cards, a stereo viewer and instructions.
Keystone believed that exercise was the key to strong muscles and strong muscles the key to good health. In their view, every muscle needs exercise and eye muscles are no different. Their cards and instructions would exercise eye muscles and eliminate a need for glasses! (they seemed unaware of the stiffening of the human eye lens as people aged making reading glasses mandatory for those over 40 unless they suffered from a condition called short sightedness making glasses mandatory to see distant objects clearly.
As Clint thought, Keystone did not sell prescription glasses. His main show and tell came with a caution: be careful not to give yourself a headache or affect your ability to drive by trying the cards at the December meeting…
Canadian Kodak Duex Camera and box (instructions inside box)
Toronto. At our December meeting, Mark Singer suggested ways to categorize camera collecting. Having a very wide range of interests, Mark focusses one one segment of still camera collecting: cameras made in Canada.
He demonstrated this with an example of a 1940-42 Kodak Duex, complete with the original box, and instructions. The camera clearly states “Made in Canada” on the lens plate. Mark acknowledged that many cameras etc. so marked were actually assembled in Canada from parts mainly made elsewhere. This style of “manufacture” reduced the duty charged on finished goods. In the case of the Duex, Mark said it was one of the few Kodak models actually made here making it relatively rare.
Samoca 35 III c1950s
Toronto. In the 1950s, Samoca cameras were sold in a variety of models – all very similar, so the saying was that SAMOCA stood for SAMe Old Camera.
Thanks to Ed Warner at the December meeting for bringing a quartet of cameras given weird English names by their Japanese or German maker, Samoca being one of them.
LIFE ad for Argus model Autronic 35 c1960
Toronto. Argus tried bravely to stay competitive in the amateur photography world in the face of both national and international competition. This particular model as advertised in the May 30, 1960 issue of LIFE was a less expensive version Autronic II model. It used an f/3.5 lens instead of the marginally faster f/2.8 lens.
Built-in exposure (linked) via Selenium cell, and flash capability were de riguer in the 60s. The camera only lasted a couple of years according to McKeown (11th edition p64), Both Autronic I and II used the faster f/2.8 lens.
EVENTS
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Stan White – Poems & Photos
Mise Au Point – sur la photographie Quebecois
