Nadar Bio Reviewed in NYT Book Review

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Robert

Nadar and a Balloon. Cover of the British publication of Gernsheim’s History of Photography 1969 edition dedicated to his late wife Alison.

Toronto. In January 1839 when the Daguerreotype was first announced, Gaspard-Felix Tournachon was just 18 years old. Know to one and all as Nadar, he enthusiastically promoted the new art form. He opened his own studio in 1854. Archer had announced the wet-plate photography process three years earlier in in England.

George Dunbar sent me this brief note regarding a NY Times book review of a new biography of the famous Frenchman.

George writes, “A new biography of photographer, Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (6 April 1820 – 20 March 1910), better known by his nickname Nadar, was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review (July 23). The Great Nadar, The Man Behind The Camera by Adam Begley (illustrated 248 pp. Tim Dugan Books. $28US will certainly interest any follower of early developments in France.

“Nadar was one of the first to take advantage of balloons for aerial photography. However, he was earlier praised for his excellent portraits of the elite in Paris. This animated GIF image demonstrates Nadar’s fascination with “selfies.”

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When Freddie bought the Farm..

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Robert

Ernst Leitz (left) and Oskar Barnack taken with the Ur-Leica about 1913

Toronto. … and Ernie bought the business.

In the early to mid 1800s, most of my ancestors were still in England in the villages around London. The horse was the main mode of transportation, aside from ships for those daring enough to cross the ocean. No telephones, no radio or TV, no computers. For the venturous well-to-do telescopes and microscopes served as a means of entertainment.

In Germany of the time many inventions took place. Optics was about to expand after the discovery of photography and a means of fixing an image. Near Frankfurt lived a bright young inventor called Carl Kellner. He devised a better eyepiece for the telescopes – an orthoscopic achromatic eyepiece. To market the new eyepieces, Kellner first had to make them, so in 1849, he founded an Optical Institute in the ancient town of Wetzlar. Continue reading →

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A walk in the park

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Robert

Heritage York Poster
Humber talk

Toronto. Joy Cohnstaedt wrote me recently about the presentation “Walk the Six West: History on the Humber”. This talk and show will be of interest to everyone, especially to those living in the west end of Toronto near the Humber river. The event was written up recently in the Villager – a local newspaper covering the Bloor West Village and Parkdale communities.

I learned from genealogy rersearch that history and geography are important. Historic processes and photographers must be put in context to appreciate the challenges they faced.

Joy writes, “On August 5th a free theatrical experience takes place in Étienne Brûlé Park. Walk along the historic Humber River to encounter Pauline Johnson, Tom Thomson, Joshua Glover, Geraldine Moodie, Sir William Pearce Howland, Mrs. Brown, Anne Leung, and A. B. Rice as presented by Ars Musica, Cheri Maracle, Mixed Company Theatre, Neil Ross and Sara Moyle.

“Heritage York, in collaboration with partner organizations Swansea Historical Society, West Toronto Junction Historical Society, Etobicoke Historical Society, York Pioneer and Historical Society, and Sunnyside Historical Society, with financial support provided by the Government of Ontario through its Ontario 150 Community presents Walk the Six West: History on the Humber.

“To register for free tickets please visit our event link here:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/walk-the-six-west-history-on-the-humber-tickets-35949241148?aff=es2

Information: www.pvhs.info/historyonthehumber/ or call (647) 675-1792″

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Have you heard?

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Robert

Toronto. Word on the street is that we will be joining PhotoEd magazine to participate in this fall’s annual celebration of books…

The book & magazine festival will take place on Sunday, September 24, 2017 down at the Harbourfront Centre from 11 am to 6 pm. Come down and enjoy the books, authors, and excitement in Toronto’s usually balmy fall weather.

 

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It’s a dog’s world out there…

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Robert

Just Second Place!
Globe Archives September 28, 1964

Toronto. Recently the Globe and Mail opened its massive news archive to its subscribers in celebration of Canada’s 150th.

This photograph was shot back on September 28th, 1964 at the Scarborough kennel show by Harry McLorinan of the Globe. It features a sad Buffalo NY owner and his Afghan hound when they learned they had finished second in the show.

I mentioned the archive in a post nearly a month ago on June 25th of this year.

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A sign of the times 21 years later

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Robert

Summer 1996 photograph by “Goldie” with an Eaton’s store in the background. Three years later the Eaton’s chain was gone.

Toronto. My thanks to George Dunbar who reminded me about the site Urban Toronto. On that site using the nom de plume “Goldie”, George posts many of his personal photographs. As many of you may know, the long retired gentleman was once the industrial photographer for IBM Canada.

This photo taken July 1st in 1996 shows the nearly vacant parking lot of a local plaza on the Canada Day holiday.  Sadly the photo also shows an Eaton’s store. The once famous Canadian department store chain first entered bankruptcy protection a year later in 1997 and died two years later in 1999.

When George snapped this happy youth skate-boading in the empty mall parking lot, the Eaton’s store in the background had only a year to survive. When the grand old name finally folded there was much discussion about the fact that family businesses rarely survive the third generation after the founder since his (her) business acumen would have been seriously diluted in the grand children.

I was once at Eaton Hall for a seminar and earlier, an uncle of mine worked there during a renovation. As a kid I helped a friend research the Eaton steamer built in 1904 by the Toronto Iron Works and used by the family in the Lake of Bays region of Muskoka.

The old family-run photographic businesses seemed to suffer a similar fate. Bottom line: a professionally managed company has a better chance of survival and growth than one run by emotionally attached family members.

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Annie, get your gun

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Robert

Annie Leibovitz (right) and her famous photo of Demi Moore at the  Brooklyn Museum of Art in 2006. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

Toronto. My friend (don’t know what this site would do without his terrific input) George Dunbar writes, “This CBC news story regarding Annie Leibovitz and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia should certainly interest PHSC members.”

Annie was one of my favourite photographers a few years back. When we had our store on Bloor, I can remember seeing her then shocking cover photograph of a very pregnant Demi Moore displayed on a local newsstand.

I was sad to learn that her exceptional photographs were mired in a CRA battle over cultural value and tax implications and may never see the Halifax daylight as intended.

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A Broken Arrow and Photography

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Robert

Toronto. In the late 1950s as I sat on a runway waiting for takeoff, the pilot announced that we could look out a cabin window and see the famous Avro Arrow about to take off. I was thrilled to see the tiny pointed machine in action. It was a shock when a short time later our Prime Minister, John G Diefenbaker, killed the entire project.

The project and all the models and aircraft were literally taken off the face of the earth. Over the years one story or another would announce the efforts underway to raise an aircraft said to be at the bottom of Lake Ontario.

My good friend George Dunbar suggested the CBC link shown here and the idea of researching a photographer associated with Avro Arrow project. The recent (July 14th)  CBC News article raised the question again about finding and raising one of the Arrows but with a greater probability of success using modern technology. Part of the article covered the photographer 83 year old Jack Hurst who first joined the Avro Arrow project when he was 17. Continue reading →

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Graflex Journal Issue 2 for 2017 published

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Robert

10 year old Maxine Sullivan on a Melbourne beach in the 1960s

Toronto. East coast American Graflex affectionado Ken Metcalf deserves a round of applause for his attractive and informative quarterly “Graflex Journal” which is offered free in pdf format.

In his latest issue, 2-17, Ken provides a photo essay by our friend George Dunbar of Graflex advertisements. The lead article reviews the first 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 Graflex and its range of lenses. The smaller camera allows smaller sensitive material to be used and prints made by enlargement.

Take a look at the interesting articles Ken has compiled of the second issue of 2017.

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Come Fly with me – Falcon 1946 Ad

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Robert

Falcon Camera c1946. Click camera to see the LIFE magazine ad.

Toronto. The other day my friend George Dunbar sent me an ad from a June, 1946 issue of LIFE magazine. For many years various vendors offered this and similar cameras to attendees at our fairs. The cheap plastic cameras used readily available 127 film so they could be used or collected.

George’s ad brought back memories of the days after the war when these cameras let an owner pretend to be using a miniature 35mm camera instead of what was basically a box camera dressed up as a more desirable minicam. There are lots of details about Falcon cameras on the web. For example, Camerapedia has this article on the American Falcon miniature camera.

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