Quarter Million Dollar Flight of Fancy

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Robert
Gossamer Wings

Gossamer Wings

Toronto, Thursday, July 11, 2013. Thanks to the Toronto Star and various local television stations, my curiosity has been answered. Back on May 27, 2013 I discovered what looked like wings hanging from the rafters in the hall at the Soccer Centre. Judy Raulik, PHSC Treasurer mentioned them to me  during the show.

The gossamer wings are propeller components of a man-powered helicopter that won the $250,000 Sikorsky prize for the first successful human powered craft. The prize was won by two Toronto U of T engineers Todd Reichert (31) and Cameron Robertson (26) – neither was born when the prize was announced in 1980!

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Robert Gutteridge Friday, July 12, 2013

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Robert
Robert Gutteridge

Robert Gutteridge

TORONTO, July 14, 2013. We learned today that Robert W Gutteridge passed away last Friday at the Scarborough General Hospital. Bob joined the PHSC in 1997 and was our resident authority on optical toys and early cinema in Canada. He was a speaker on occasion at the Toronto meetings. He was a regular participant at the spring and fall fairs, often joining Francois LeMai of Montreal, another early cinema enthusiast. Bob published “Magic Moments, First 20 years of moving pictures in Toronto” in 2000 in collaboration with Gerald Pratley of Ryerson University. Continue reading →

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Newsletter 13-3

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Robert

Editor David Bridge rounds up some juicy stories for this month:

From left: Cover of 13-3 and trunk show
From left: Cover of 13-3. Trunk show, auction this fall and PHSC honours Harry Joy. Book and journal reviews. Revisiting the fireman daguerreotype. A dummy cheap infra-red plant camera. Indian photograph in book by our September speaker. The late John Wootten.

A series of PHSC events are announced – Trunk Sale July 14, Auction September 15, Toronto meeting September 18, Fall Fair October 27 (now firm). Some books and journals are reviewed – Antique Photographica, Early Photography in Kingston, The Daguerreian Annual 2012, PhotoED Spring/Summer 2013. Recognition of long time members Harry Joy and Bill Belier. An interesting revisitation of the fireman daguerreotype by Bob Lansdale. Saying good-bye to the late John Wootten. Plus columns and membership promotion. Just click here or on the above montage to read or download this colourful issue.

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Good night, Carl

Posted on July 7, 2013 by Robert

ZeissToronto, July 7, 2013. Those of us familiar with German optical firms recognize Carl Zeiss Jena and its products as famous since the late 1800s. The Tessar and Biotar lenses are immediately known to collectors and users of fine equipment. One of the blogs I follow, Sony Alpha Rumors, announced today that Zeiss has officially dropped the name Carl from its camera lenses in order have a consistency across all its products. The decision to make the change is covered in great detail here on the Zeiss blog.

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London before 1927

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Robert

London-1927London, May 11, 2013. Thanks to ex-pat Stan White who sent me a note regarding a London Evening Standard article and images from a 1926-7 movie of London, England.

The movie uses the experimental Friese-Greene [Frisse-Greene] process. The movie was taken by Claude Friese-Greene using his father William’s process. Take a look. Click the image to see the Vimeo movie and get more background, or here to see the article.

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Henri Cartier-Bresson: Living and Looking

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Robert
Sheila Turner-Seed and daughter Rachel c1979

Sheila Turner-Seed and daughter Rachel c1979

New York, June 20, 2013. Ian Ransberry of the Niagara School of Imaging sent this item along via Bob Lansdale.

The Lens column of the New York Times reports on the recent discovery of interviews with photographers well known in the 1960s and earlier. The interviewer, photographer Sheila Turner-Seed, met an early death in 1979 and her interviews died with her.

Both she and her daughter Rachel Seed are photographers. In researching her mother’s history, Ms Seed discovered these interviews at the ICP in New York. Click here or on the image to read the NY Times article.

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3rd Annual Trunk Sale – July 14, 2013

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Robert

3rd-trunk-sale-smTORONTO, June 21, 2013. As our Toronto presentations program breaks for summer, we announce our third annual summer event, The Larry Boccioletti Memorial Trunk Sale held outside the Soccer Centre as in the past two years. Click here or on the icon to go to our Facebook page for complete details.

Limited space. Free Parking. Opens at 8am. Rain or Shine. Public Welcome.

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Antique Photographica – The Collector’s Vision

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Robert

51SIw+n9gnL._SY300_TORONTO, June 12, 2013. Bob Lansdale mentioned that his colleagues Bryan and Page Ginns have recently published a selection of articles in a book titled Antique Photographica, The Collector’s Vision.

Both Amazon USA and Amazon Canada have the book available at a lower price. Look for a review in an upcoming issue of Photographic Canadiana or the Newsletter.

Bob relates he “Just got in the new book by Bryan & Page Ginns (as editor): Antique Photographica: The Collector’s Vision. It is quite a heavy book (9×12) and full of knowledgeable authors such as Jack and Beverly Wilgus, Ralph London, Michael Pritchard, Greg French, Len Walle, Janice Schimmelman, Thomas Harris, Page & Bryan Ginns, Kenneth Rosen, Mike Kessler, Bobbi London, Richard Balzer, Sabine Ocker, Hugh Tifft & Jereme Rowe; each wrote on their particular collection forte. The topics cover a wide variety of titles from the Camera Obscura (before photography), through the cameras and images of the 19th and 20th century to colour and postcards.  Its reawakened my interest in other collectables. Its 274 pages, all colour.”

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Boris Spremo C.M. to be inducted into the CNHF

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Robert

BorisSpremoTORONTO, June 12. 2013. I get the Toronto Star delivered and its almost always here but I missed a paper last week and also the article on Boris being inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame. Thanks and a tip of the hat to John Morden, our secretary and head of the PHSC Press. 

Boris attended a selection of his photographs and equipment featured at our fall fair last year (2012). Missed them? Not a problem – you can still check out his great photos right now the Star Blogs. A member of our society, we had the pleasure of hearing and seeing Boris give an excellent illustrated talk at a Toronto meeting back in March, 2001.  And now to be a member of the Canadian News Hall of Fame! Well deserved. Congratulations, Boris.

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Baltzley Photograph Spotted

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Robert

Lower-Falls-of-Garnet-e008444128smTORONTO, May 31, 2013. Member and Image Curator Ashley Cook dropped me an email to say she spotted a Baltzley in the Early Exploration Photographs in Canada exhibition running until the end of September at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.  This image is timely as our publishing arm, PHSC Books, is about to release a new book on Baltzley by Dr Robert Wilson.

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