PHSC Meeting Jan 15, 2025 via Eventbrite

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Hi folks, this is our first presentation in 2025. It features Ms Janine Freeston of Oxford speaking on early colour photography. Be sure to register on Eventbrite here (poster is a jpeg and as such does not have a live link). 

Posted in program | Tagged | Comments Off on PHSC Meeting Jan 15, 2025 via Eventbrite

too good to be true …

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Robert

Leitz collapsible 9cm M series lens with rear cap and hood

Toronto. One interesting thing done by editor Ev Roseborough was to reprint articles of interest to our members that first appeared elsewhere.

In May 1991, we hosted Jack Naylor who spoke with us about his collection and later distributed a PHSNE pamphlet he created showing the many 35mm cameras that predated to famous Leica.

In issue 20-1 (May/June 1994) a paper by Jack and fellow collector Dr Burton Rubin was reproduced. The title of the paper is, “Exposing Another Camera Fraud“. The PHSC journal version is followed by a report of other frauds and is titled, “Collector Scams Increase …”

Often, a scammer will use a cheaper model of a high end camera (eg Leitz [Leica], Zeiss, Rollei)  and modify it to appear as a rare very expensive model. In other cases like those reported in 20-1 the actual cameras offered are non-existent and instead a ‘down payment’ or full payment is requested to part the greedy and gullible from hard earned dollars.

The reproduction of the article by Jack and Burton begins, “Police Sargent Graham and Postal Inspector Schierle were staked-out at ‘Suite 149′, on January 6, 1994. In fact, they were at Box 149, a mail drop used by Tarheel liquidators at a legitimate mail box and fax store at … in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The police were waiting for the renter of the box, ‘David Williamson’, to arrive. He was to pick up an Express Mail envelope which was supposed to contain $6,000 sent to him by a collector to purchase a rare Canon J camera.

“The well-known collector was cooperating in a ‘sting’ with the authorities. The name ‘Williamson’ was the alias used by the box renter who also used the alias ‘William D. Keene’ in the scam. ‘Williamson’ arrived, picked up the Express Mail envelope and was arrested.

“He gave his name as Johnny Leon Blackwelder, age 38. His driver ‘s license gave an address in Sterling, Virginia. Sterling is a thirty-minute drive on Interstate 66 from Vienna, Virginia where a similar scam occurred in January, 1993. Both the Vienna letter and the Charlotte letter listed some of the same rare cameras.

“Mr. Blackwelder is alleged to be the perpetrator of the fraud in Charlotte and he is believed to have been behind the fraud in Virginia which was reported in the New England Journal No. 138-139.

“According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police, Blackwelder was released after posting $20,000 bail. A federal trial date has not been set …”

Members can view all of this article in the pdf file for 20-1 on the free members-only DVD. To join the PHSC, read the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu above (Membership Form) and the article at right (PayPal). Send payment with the form or send the form and use a credit card/your PayPal account. Have any questions? Just email Lilianne, our very patient Membership Secretary at member@phsc.ca. Easy, simple, and inexpensive.

Of course, fraud today is old hat – telephone scammers try to get your personal info, accuse you of tax evasion, etc. while the internet is rife with scammers selling non-existing goods at ridiculous prices, warning you of missing a parcel, confirming you ordered software etc,. warning you that your email or web  site will be cancelled, etc. The list goes on and on, Yawn.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on too good to be true …

no ordinary camera …

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Robert

Ev explains the working and purpose of this strange camera

Toronto. We tend to address each item in our camera collection as model, maker, features, how it works,  etc. But some members have a deeper knowledge of science that enhances their assessment of old photographic technology.

An example of such skill was shown by our late editor, Ev Roseborough. He mentions spotting what seemed like an old colour camera but without the registration pins needed to align the various sheets. Ev passed it up at one of our fairs, but was so intrigued, he visited the exhibitor who lived nearby and bought the curious device.

It is featured on the cover of issue 20-1 and discussed in a lengthy detailed article by Ev titled “No Ordinary Camera”. In the article, Ev explains both how it works, what it is, and its’ purpose. Without Ev’s curiosity, skill, and knowledge the device would simply pass from collector to collector as just another strange looking camera of odd and curious design.

Ev’s article begins, “This unassuming specimen of camera manufacturing, when viewed from the front, would be considered well-made despite its warped baseboard.

“Many people saw it at Dave Breeze’s table during [1994] Spring Fair. Without inspection, but hastily noting the three index holes and the appearance of what might have been a repeating back, I assumed it might have been a camera for 3 color separations for such a device as the Kromskop.

“Intrigued, a week later I went to Oakville and brought it home. The plate holder bears an ivory plaque with the name of an early British scientific instrument manufacturer. The name F.E. Becker & Co. appears in an 1894 list of London chemical, glass and apparatus manufacturers.

“The company may have been taken over by W. & J. George Ltd., Proprietors, at the old address 33, 35, 37 Hatton Wall, London EC, England.

“The camera front and back are made from 3/8″ mahogany with mortise and tenon corners, brass bound. They enclose a nine-fold rectangular bellows 7 1 /4″ x 7 3/4” of fine leather. A lens panel would have been 4″ square. The back opening is 2 1 /4 x 3″. …”

To learn more about this instrument and its vital purpose, you will have to read the rest of Ev’s article. Issue 20-1 not handy? Read the issue 20-1 pdf file on the members-only free DVD. Not a member? Let’s fix that now. Go to the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu above (Membership Form), then the article at right (PayPal). Send your cheque with the form or send the form and use a credit card/your PayPal account. Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca. Membership and the DVD are well worth the minuscule cost!

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on no ordinary camera …

the French have a name for it …

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Robert

Drawing of the Verascpe Stereo Camera in late 1800s. From Brian Coe’s book “CAMERAS”

Toronto. … Le Verascope. When the dry plate process and later film became common place, would-be photographers no longer needed to understand the art. Hence the art opened to the far wider world of amateurs. The down side as the process became simpler was a sharp drop in image quality as noted in an article in our Journal issue 19-5.

In late fall of 1993, Pierre Tavlitzki published an article in French on the 100 year anniversary of the famous French Verascope Stereo camera in the Bulletin Mensuel du Stéréo Club Français, Nr 773. (Tavlitzki’s article gives a fascinating history of photography and cameras from the viewpoint of stereo image creators.)

A few months later, with the author’s permission, an English translation of his article was reproduced in issue 19-5 of our Journal. Titled, “100 Years of Verascope” by Pierre Tavlitzki, the translation begins, “In a way, the year 1893 saw the beginning of amateur stereo photography, due in large part to Jules Richard, inventor of the Verascope. Just before that time, stereo was out of fashion.

“43 years before, another Frenchman, Jules Duboscq, equally skilled in the manufacture of precision instruments, began mass production of stereoscopes. Stereo remained the domain of professionals who kept the quality high until 1875, before it declined into badly taken, badly framed and badly  mounted work typical of that period which followed.

“Photography had similar problems. Before 1878 [when dry plate photography became common] the photographer had to sensitise his own plates just before use [wet plate photography] and it was necessary to have a taste (knowledge of?) for chemistry, as shown by articles read in the publication of the Société Français de Photographie, before plunging into the photographic experience.

“Negative material ready to use, in gelatine-bromide dry plate form [Richard Maddox 1871], and then readily available in rolls, thanks to Eastman (1884), were the first step which made amateur photography a reality. Without the foregoing, there would have been no Kodak (1888), no film on transparent base (1889), no motion pictures. …”

To read the rest of this article, just follow the usual drill: View the pdf file for 19-5 on the free members-only DVD. Not a member? Read the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu above (Membership Form) and the article at right (PayPal). Send your cheque with the form or send the form and use a credit card/your PayPal account. Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca. So easy. So simple. So inexpensive.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on the French have a name for it …

the real McCoy

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Robert

“Studio Work” by J A Castor of Ontario, c1870

Toronto. Well over a century ago publications had a choice of using words, sketches, coarse  half -tones, or real prints tipped in.  In issue 19-5, future editor Bob Lansdale wrote an article titled, “Real photo prints graced early Canadian Photographic [CP] Journal”.

The tipped-in photos were donated to us by Thomas Ritchie of White River. Of the photographer Castor, Bob writes (quoting Mr Ritchie), “Entitled ‘Studio Work’, (140 x 98mm) by J.A. Castor, Ontario, is printed on American ‘Aristo’ paper. Pages 319 and 320 of the journal carried his photo and life story from Collingwood, Ontario, as follows.

“Starting in 1872 he was trained by J.H. Davis, whom he later bought out. The studio was burned and he returned to a Grieves Block location from 1875 to 1888, when he moved to Bells New Block. Castor‘s 10 competitors, over his 22 years of business, existed individually from 1 to 3 years.

“The [CP] Journal continues, he has never lowered prices or gone in for scams. Gets $4 for cabinets. He makes everything from little ‘sun beams’ up to 18 x 22. Has 3 different portrait cameras and 2 view cameras 8 x 10 and 14 x 17. His operating room is 16 x 40 (feet), skylight facing north and of ground glass, very soft, though strong. It is 16 x 20 feet, very steep to avoid the snow lying on it. Has side light down to within 3 feet of the floor.

“No special curtains except one big one of thin cotton if the light is too strong. Manage(s) light with small background for screen. Own style of lighting and it seems to work very well.” 

All of this article and more can be viewed in the appropriate pdf file on the members-only free DVD. Not a member yet? Not a problem – joining is so easy – see the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu item above (form) and the article at right (PayPal).

Mail your cheque with the form or send the form and use the PayPal buttons for a credit card/your PayPal account. A DVD will be sent tout de suite via the old fashioned mail service (will be delayed a bit if the posties go on strike). Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on the real McCoy

the man who died too soon

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Robert
E Sanger-Shepherd

Edward Sanger-Shepherd 1869 – 1927 (image in public domain – adjusted in Topaz Photo AI

Toronto. Ev Roseborough could have been a renaissance man his interest were so wide spread. He owned his own photo studio; was our journal editor; collected both photographica and microscopes; once considered a medical career; organist at the local church, etc. He not only pursued a career as a commercial photographer, but also researched various photographic processes.

Amongst his possessions was a Sanger-Shepherd densitometer he used to research colour processes. In issue 19-5 Ev wrote an article about the British gentleman who was the “Inventor and maker of materials and appliances for colour photography and for many years a widely recognized authority on this branch of photography– so reads the brief obituary in a leading English journal of 1928, another wrote nothing.”

His article, titled, “Story of a Forgotten Pioneer, E. SANGER-SHEPHERD”, discusses the person, company, and patents. Sanger-Shepherd was a very private man who died far too soon.

Ev’s article begins with  a quote, “E. Sanger-Shepherd seems to have been somewhat overlooked by Photo-Historians … it seems a great pity that Sanger-Shepherd, who did a great deal for Photography in colour and in the field of scientific instruments, should be so neglected. – Roy Hungerford ARPS, Historical Group, Royal Photographic Society

“One cannot help but notice the arms-length detachment of the writer. There is little mention of the person ; where he was from , lived, where educated, his company, associates, etc. Quite possibly he was a very private person, which may explain why it has taken over two years to collect the infinitesimal amount of information recorded here.

“I first became acquainted with the Sanger-Shepherd & Co. , Ltd about 1927, the year of the founder‘s death. A continuous circular wedge densitometer was vital to my color experiments and I had been wearing out my welcome at Prof. Jackson‘s laboratory at the old S.P.S., University of Toronto. …”

The rest of Ev’s article and more can be viewed in the appropriate pdf file on the members-only free DVD. Not a member? It is really easy! Just see the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu item above (form) and the article at right (PayPal). Send your cheque with the form (or better yet, send the form and use a credit card/your PayPal account) and the DVD will be sent tout de suite. Any questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on the man who died too soon

some Graflex stuff from the rim

Posted on January 4, 2025 by Robert

enhanced image from Pacific Rim Camera Graflex Reference Library

Toronto. Ken Metcalf of Graflex History fame down in North Carolina, wrote me recently saying in part, “… Pacific Rim does have a lot of Graflex catalogs and other literature. …”. Be patient, these are large files. A slowish server link or computer takes a bit of time to load all pages.

Those of you who collect cameras would do well to add one or more of the famous Graphic/Graflex cameras to your collection. For those unfamiliar with the name, the cameras are large/medium format models made in the USA and favoured in the day by news reporters.

Around the WW2 period, the cameras often sported a flash gun making the camera and flash an icon for news photography. Here is an example from the UK. Type weegee in the search bar (above right) for more posts on this famous NYC denizen.

Visit one of our 2025 events – you may find a Graflex or other item for your collection – cameras, images, or history!

Posted in activities-other | Tagged , , | Comments Off on some Graflex stuff from the rim

Spicing it up

Posted on January 3, 2025 by Robert

Fritz Spiess photographing on set

Toronto. To the surprise of many folk, Canada has an active movie industry. It has expanded in recent decades with the burgeoning North American television industry and its constant thirst for new fodder.

In issue 19-4 (some three plus decades ago) then editor Ev Roseborough celebrated the life and times of Fritz Spiess in his article, “Fritz Spiess – Dean of Canadian cinematographers”. Sadly, Fritz died just over four year later in March, 1998.

Ev begins by writing, “Now retired, with accolades from all branches of the industry, we may meet Fritz at our Spring and Fall Fairs, surrounded by pristine cameras; but more than a collector of photographica, he is a collector of awards for his work.

“I have known Fritz for many years since we share a great love for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Here Fritz has the advantage of having been a student and chorister at Thomas Schule in Leipzig from 1935 to 1943. Bach was organist at St. Thomas Kirche and taught at the school in 1723. The great choral tradition continues.

“Fritz received his first Zeiss-Ikon box camera at the age of six from his father, a photographer and photo dealer, as was his grandfather. The family had been in photography since 1896.

“War service interrupted his apprenticeship which was resumed in 1946 with the renowned portraitist Tita Binz, in Heidelberg. …”

Well, you must know the drill by now! If not, You  can  read all of editor Roseborough’s article in the paper copy of 19-4 or the pdf file for 19-4 on the free members-only DVD. Non-members can join today. Read the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu above (Membership Form) and the article at right (PayPal). Send your cheque with the form or send the form and use a credit card/your PayPal account. Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Spicing it up

deepfake

Posted on January 2, 2025 by Robert

AI version of actress Sydney Sweeney generated by Stable Diffusion. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Toronto. As Photo/Camera collectors, we have been bombarded with fakes over the years. Easy manipulation of cheap items to create very expensive ones are the rage.

I once looked at ‘black’ Leicas that were so poorly painted they were obvious fakes – Leitz would never allow such shabby work to get out on the market (factory serial number lists indicated the models were authentic, but as chrome versions and as such worth far less).

In the search bar (upper right) of this page, type ‘fake’ (no quotes) and a number of earlier articles on the topic will pop up.

In the spring of 1994, editor Ev Roseborough in his ‘Editor’s Notebook’ column reported a Scientific American article on fakes.

Ev says, “Digital forgery can create evidence for events that never happened. This statement, accompanied by a much-less-than-convincing example in black and white, appears on the cover of Scientific American, February 1994.

“When is Seeing Believing? by William J. Mitchell, professor at M.I.T. and author of The Reconfigured Eye, M.I.T. Press 1992, voices this concern in the six pages.

“Much of the method described has been available for home computers with sufficient memory for a considerable time and advanced techniques have been employed here for several years.

“All of which is significant to photo-historians who are concerned with authenticity, to say nothing of our law courts. Manipulation is an awesome propaganda tool, as mentioned earlier in this journal, Volume 15 Number 3, 1989 [see Return of the Body Snatcher, p4].”

With the  recent advent of so called ‘Artificial Intelligence’ [AI] programs on very powerful home computers, deepfakes have taken on a whole new meaning. The AI version of actress Sydney Sweeney plopped in a wheat field is an example of the distortions created today by AI programs.  AI can be useful to handle repetitive, mundane tasks but can also be deceptive and sinister.

All of Ev’s column and more can be viewed in the appropriate pdf file on the members-only free DVD. Not a member? Joining is so easy – see the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu item above (form) and the article at right (PayPal).

Mail your cheque with the form or send the form and use the PayPal buttons for a credit card/your PayPal account. A DVD will be sent tout de suite via the old fashioned mail service. Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on deepfake

Happy New Year 2025

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Robert

life of the party

Toronto. We at the PHSC wish you one and all the very best of good health and prosperity in the new year!

The older you get, the faster time seems to pass! As a youth, I had the pleasure of meeting Bill. He was funny beyond reproach.

When we think of New Year’s parties, we think of shenanigans like those performed by Bill. Memories of such frantic activities soften “the day after the night before” as they say.

Collectors of images may spot such hilarious photos in their collection. If not, visit our events in the new year and keep your eyes peeled – you just might spot a funny photo like this!

Keep an eye on this site, especially the right sidebar. A number of 2025 events have already been firmed up!

Posted in activities | Tagged , | Comments Off on Happy New Year 2025