L Stedham, Photographer, Oshawa c1880

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Robert

A High Wheeler bicycle – Penny Farthing style. Taken by Stedham of Oshawa.

Toronto. On May 28, 2017 PHSC member Sarah Shrigley sent me a note with this bicycle cabinet card attached.

Sarah states, “The Oshawa Museum has published this picture on their Facebook page. I know we have a member who collects these kinds of pictures, so [I] thought you might pass it along. BTW – “L. Stedham” is the photographer.

Member Lorne Shields notes the photo is a “nice Canadian High Wheel Photo”.

The Oshawa Museum stated that it had several examples of Stedham photographs in its archives. This example of a bicycle would be have been taken around 1880. The penny-farthings were introduced in 1870 France and lasted about two decades. The safety bicycle and chain drive replaced these picturesque machines.

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Visiting the Family Camera Exhibit at the ROM

Posted on June 3, 2017 by Robert

The Family Camera exhibition at the ROM

Toronto.  Both Bob Lansdale and Wayne Gilbert were a bit under the weather Tuesday night (May 30th), so Carol’s cousin Al dropped me off at Kipling Subway and I came to the ROM via the better way. Fortunately as I walked up the subway stairs at Museum station, I spotted David and Louise just ahead of me. We popped out at street level by the ROM and went down the steps by the south entrance to the George Weston Wing (I would have used the wrong entrance, left on my own).

Waiting for Godot… actually waiting for our 7pm entry to the ROM – photo by George Dunbar

Continue reading →

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Rachel Levy – Impressionist Photographer

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Robert

 

Rachel Levy – Iris Impression

Toronto. GADCOLLECTION in Paris sent me a quick note that photographer Rachel Levy is having a short exhibition in their gallery of her series called in the gardens of the Louvre from June 1 to 7, 2017. Rachel will be present in their gallery this Saturday, June 3 from 4:30 to 6:30 local time.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1955, Rachel moved to France and thence to the USA. After over a decade there, she returned to France in 1984. She’s been a free-lance photographer for many magazines while pursuing her own path. Today, she has a real passion for plants. Flowers are her muses. By photographing those flowers that are neither fresh nor rare, she explores in an utmost anthropological  and modern way – the classical theme of the botanical sheet.

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That Film Plane Thing Again

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Robert

Curved Digital Sensor

Toronto. Well over a half century ago a young Latvian designed the amazing Minox spy camera. For a time, some models used a novel idea to add to the lens correction – the film plane was slightly curved along its longer side. A similar approach was taken with the Minox enlarger. Camera and enlarger were both used wide open (no aperture). I had the enlarger and two versions of the tiny camera with the curved film plane – the Model IIIs and the Model B.

Recently, Russ Forfar dropped me a note say that Science Daily in its Science News section on May 30th described how scientists had created a curved digital sensor. The curve allows a sharper lens when used wide open giving better resolution under low light situations. Shades of that old Minox spy camera! (Minox is still around today.)

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Celebrating 150 years of Canadian Photo History

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Robert

Celebrating Canada’s 150th

NEXT TORONTO MEETING: Wed, June 21, 2017
About a half dozen speakers: Celebrating One-Five-Oh!

Our promotions editor Sonja Pushchak said it best:
“Join us for Victorian cupcakes and the sort of
coffee Sir John A. used to drizzle on his whiskey.
A particularty Canadian lineup of six speakers on
photography in the last 150 years. We’ll show you
the delights of 3D, the slippery nature of Wet Plate,
photography that’s above your head and other nifty
topics exclusive to the Great Whimsical North. And
be part of the really big group portrait we’re shooting
with a really big camera!”

The public is welcome. Go to our Programs page for times and directions.

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Fun Time at our Spring Fair

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Robert

PHSC Spring Fair May 28, 2017

Toronto. Sunday was a great day! We had a terrific time at the spring fair on a warm and sunny day in Toronto. The attendance was steady and strong, the dealers enjoyed a brisk business, and we had a great time browsing the  tables and chatting with friends old and new.

From what I could see, everyone was enjoying the outing. I met folks from Michigan, from Montreal, and of course from Toronto and Mississauga. Congratulations to Mark, Clint, John and Sonja for a job so very well done!

Membership’s Wayne Gilbert in front of PHSC display booth

John Linsky and friend at his table

Nifty late 1800s Carl Zeiss Microscope at Sid Lipkowitz’s  table

Russ Forfar checking under his table

A table of cameras for old news hounds

The gang’s all here

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Family Cameras at the ROM

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Robert

Toronto. The ROM sent this news release out early this month,” [The ROM exhibition is called]  The Family Camera!  We hope you are looking forward to seeing the exhibition.

“It features over 200 objects, mostly photographs and stories collected through The Family Camera Network. It also includes loans from private and public collections, and new works by artists Jeff Thomas, Deanna Bowen, and Dinh Q. Lé.

“Visitors will also enjoy an immersive installation by OCAD U students entitled, The Living Room, which explores this domestic space as a place for sharing, and telling stories about, family photos. Continue reading →

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Money Found At Sunday PHSC Fair!

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Robert

Toronto. It was a sunny day of great finds for all but one person. Money was lost at our fair today and suddenly near closing it was FOUND!

Would the person who lost this money please contact me at info@phsc.ca noting the amount lost, what the money was contained in, and a description of the owner. I will convey the necessary data to the member holding the money. Thank You.

N.B. We had a very good turn out of both buyers and sellers. Great day, Great sales.

N.N.B. Just had a note back from our President: Owner and money were united at the end of the show – All’s well that end’s well, as Shakespeare said about four centuries ago…

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Zeiss Anastigmat Series V Lens

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Robert

An 1891 Zeiss Anastigmat Series V Lens (Later known as a Protar). Series V means an extreme wide angle (90 degree coverage) full plate lens (about 2 inches diameter).

Toronto. One of the very first lenses a young Paul Rudolph designed for Zeiss was its Anastigmat series. The series V is a super wide angle lens offering a 90 degree angle on a full plate (6.5 x 8.5 inches). This is about equal to a 22mm focal length 35mm camera lens.

My lens was made by Bausch and Lomb in Rochester. The most recent patent engraved on it is January 30th, 1891. The aperture covers f/20 to f/256. The name Anastigmat referred to the fact that the design was free of astigmatism along the film plane. The lens was also free of any curvature at the film plane. Continue reading →

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Focussing Aids in the 1800s

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Robert

Brass magnifiers to aid in focussing view cameras in wet & dry plate era.

Toronto. Those of us who predate digital cameras and smartphones may recall a nifty little 8x magnifier, the Agfa Lupe. It was used to look at 35mm negatives and slides on a light table. Instead, you could use the 5x magnification of the LVFOO vertical magnifier Leitz made for its screw mount series mirror boxes and focoslides.

Similar little gadgets came on the photography scene in the mid 1800s – long before 35mm film – or film of any sort.

Here I show two brass and glass magnifiers, one (right) by C.P.Goerz of Berlin and the other a no-name variety. They were used on the view cameras of the day to aid the photographer in creating a sharp image in the desired plane of the subject. The base of the magnifier was  placed on the ground glass over the desired plane and the camera focussing was slightly adjusted to bring the ground glass image into sharp focus to the eye looking down the little brass magnifier.

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