Looking at Small Things – 1680 style

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Robert

an early single lens microscope c1680 – reproduced by Zeiss staff as an exercise

Toronto. When I was a kid, an issue of Popular Mechanics magazine showed how the tiny lens of a pen-light 1.5v bulb could be used as a powerful (about 200x) microscope – just like one made by Leeuwenhoek in Delft, Netherlands.

In issue 22-2, editor Everett Roseborough, discussed a tiny Zeiss object  (barely a handful) he saw at a 1996  Zeiss Historica meeting. It was a reproduction of the tiny Leeuwenhoek single lens microscope once used to see tiny things including bacteria (the hand-crafted lenses had different focal lengths and were estimated to be anywhere from 50x to 500x magnification).

I mentioned in an earlier post that many camera collectors also collect other strange optical instruments – this was such a device. Ev opens his artcle by saying, “This reproduction of a Leeuwenhoek Microscope is a product of Zeiss Reflex – a company within a company that needs no introduction.

“Michael Kersten of Carl Zeiss Inc., N.Y., showed it to me at the Zeiss Historica meeting at Toronto, and having one in my collection became imperative.

“Zeiss Reflex is a company where new employees in marketing, technology and other phases of company policy and activity receive training. They decide on projects and carry them to completion. I believe these replicas are part of the apprenticeship program.

“In the pamphlet which accompanies the replica, Zeiss maintains that Leeuwenhoek was a baker by trade, this could be a translation error as was “von” Leeuwenhoek.

“The instrument is beautifully polished but I feel that the good Antoni ‘s handiwork would not have been, but rather blackened.

“He was the first man to see bacteria, which he obtained from his teeth, animalculae [tiny beings in pond water], circulating blood and spermatozoa. Spontaneous generation theory was disproven even before Pasteur.”

Members read the rest of Ev’s article in the pdf file for issue 22-2 on the free members-only DVD. Joining the PHSC is easy – see above or at right. Any questions, please email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

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remember using D-76

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Robert

Developer by the gallon

Toronto. As a youth, I bought an old chemical balance and a whack of Kodak chemicals to make my own developers, stop bath, and fixer bath. Later on I bought ready-made Kodak chemicals like D-76 for developing negatives and DEKTOL to print.

“When colour came calling, I tried various packages and processes. It soon became obvious that unlike B&W, the best you could do with colour was expose and develop it correctly – no fussing around to fix exposure boo-boos, create more contrast or less, focus in on highlights, or shadows, etc. Colour was left to the one hour photo shops.

About  quarter century ago when digital hit us, I had a last trip with my trusty M4 then put it on the shelf and switched to the digital world.

The other day, one of our members, Jeri Danyleyko sent me an email saying, “For all those who are doing home processing, Kodak chemistry is back. https://downtowncamera.com/shop?query=kodak%20chemistry
Please pass on to anyone I may have missed.”

The image on the DTC site is tiny and a bit fuzzy even after a ‘Topaz” tuneup, so the enlarged image here is a couple of hamsters in a DEKTOL tin.

So, for all you film niche enthusiasts that’s the scoop! PS DTC also has lots of Lomography gear – well worth a visit.

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the eye looker

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Robert

an interesting little optical device c1901

Toronto. Camera collectors often included various odd looking optical items in their collection. In the late 1980s, I was browsing antique stores, junk sales, etc. for interesting items.

In one case, a little girl stood guard over a road side table of odds and ends including a small brass tube with openings on each side and an eye piece. “What’s that?” I enquired. “An eye looker” she replied. Intrigued, I bought the unsigned little brass tube. It was a low power ‘magnifier’ with side openings for a perhaps small bug? a bit of flower? a Stanhope pasted to the smooth block of glass?  another tiny positive image? A ‘condenser’ at the bottom illuminated the block of glass.

The image for this post is the journal photo, of a nickel plated version of the magnifier, upsized with Topaz Photo AI and enhanced with that software and  Focus Magic, then re-sized with Affinity Photo.

About a decade later, Everett included an article in issue 22-2. Ev titled his illustrated article, “A Mystery within an Enigma“. It described an almost identical item labelled “Pan-American Exposition 1901, Buffalo, N. Y. Price $1.00″ [one or two days pay in 1901]. 

Ev wrote, “This souvenir, inscribed Panamerican Exposition 1901, Buffalo, N. Y. Price $1.00, is a form of Stanhope. (Charles Stanhope, Chevening, England, ca. 1829). It was found in a box of miscellaneous items belonging to the late [photographer] Brodie Whitelaw.

“The cylinder is nickel plated and the exploded view reveals its construction. It is 46 mm long and 21 mm diameter. The magnifying eyepiece is cemented to a block of glass with a 7 mm square polished surface at its focus. Something must have been mounted on this (a collodion image?) for viewing.

“At the opposite end is a larger lens mounted in a tubular insert which is pierced with four peculiarly shaped apertures; these do not coincide with the single similar aperture in the outer tube. The larger lens is obviously to illuminate the object on the polished surface.

“Robert Carter has a similar, un-inscribed, brass device equally enigmatic. Who produced it? What was the purpose of the apertures? What was the object to be seen? $ 1.00 was a fair sum in 1901.”

 

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remembering Christine Mackie …

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Robert

K Christine Mackie – from issue 22-2 of the journal

Toronto. Christine Mackie burst upon the PHSC scene a few brief years before her death. One of our more flamboyant members, she collected antique motorcycles and bicycles, stored back home in Hamilton. She leaped into camera collecting with unrivalled enthusiasm, attending our events to rapidly amass a collection.

Christine took advantage of the offer for any member to join the executive meetings. At the time we used executive member houses in rotation (including mine). She introduced and managed a silent auction held at our monthly Toronto meeting.

The photograph at left was enlarged by Topaz Photo AI, enhanced by both Topaz and Focus Magic, and scaled by Affinity Photo.

On her passing, editor Roseborough wrote a brief in ‘memoriam’ in issue 22-2 of our journal, “Obituary – K Christine Mackie (April 25, 1996) – Toronto members will remember her trunks full of cameras and gear at monthly meetings, her motorcycle photos and an extensive knowledge of vintage cars.

“Her trailer enabled visits all over the country to remote flea-markets in search of cameras, her motorcycle took her to rallies as far as Florida.

“During the last few years she purchased a medical laboratory building in Hamilton, Ontario with a darkroom and house across from it on Barton St.

“Christine opened a re-cycling shop for used bicycles where she also kept her large collection of antique motor bikes, including one with wooden rims. A heart condition of some duration resulted in her sudden death last April.

“Hoodlums broke the shop window and looted the premises, leaving only a few ten-speed bikes. Cameras are appearing at flea markets but there is no proof of theft.

“A member for eight years, Christine was generous, if a rough diamond, having organized several silent auctions for [the] PHSC. A lonely person, she lived for her interests.”

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mr Curtis, you make good photos …

Posted on March 9, 2025 by Robert

Kyaiyi-stamik (Bull Bear) of the Blackfoot Nation, Alberta. c1926 by E. S. Curtis – courtesy National Archives of Canada

Toronto. … with apologies to Mr Christie. Edward Curtis was a famous American photographer and author; an authority on Native American People (i.e. Aboriginals or First Nation People here).

A few of his photographs are framed and hang in Barberian’s Steak House on Elm. At least they did in the 1960s when my wife and I ate there. The photos were also noted in our journal when a letter from an exhibitor at one of our early fairs happened to eat there before heading home.

The photo at right is from the cover shot on issue 22-2 back in the summer/fall of 1906. Image collectors often specialize in one particular aspect of old images, or segregate their collection, by groups, one of which may be First Nations.

Our 2025 events are listed to the right under PHSC EVENTS as the date and place are confirmed. Come down and enjoy the atmosphere at each event – while there may not be an original Curtis photograph offered, there will be many items to choose from for your personal collection!

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an ambrotype self portrait

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Robert

Stan White – self portrait c1996

Toronto. Over the years, photographic processes continuously evolved. For example, some effort was made to deliver less expensive cased images (Daguerreotype look-a-likes). One solution was to take a negative using the then new wet-plate technology and treat it to reverse the tonal range, bleaching the black areas white and using a black background in the case to simulate the blacks in the clear areas of the ‘negative’.

More recently [mid 1990s] courses and workshops demonstrated the old technique to a new contingent of photographers. Stan White had a column in the journal called simply “Stan White’s Corner”. For issue 22-1 Stan wrote of his experiences with a workshop across the lake at GEH.

The self portrait at left comes with this paragraph: Note the rubber glove; the photograph was taken during a processing session. The blue-only sensitive emulsions were tricky on even the most perfect complexion. The writer finds this picture most useful when applying for a senior-citizen discount, not too many people will argue your age when your photograph is an ambrotype.

Stan begins this column, “I am now back from my second one-day workshop sponsored by Eastman House, the first being the Daguerreotype Workshop the subsequent results from which were featured in a previous issue.

“This latest offering was on wet-plate collodion – ambrotypes, tintypes and other wet-plate applications. The work of the principal instructors Mark Osterman, and his wife France Scully Osterman [June 1998 speakers at the PHSC], was superb and showed a wide range of ambrotypes and tintypes, treated in a variety of different ways, as well as wet-plate negatives printed on modern papers.

“One 8 x 10 inch contact print of a full-length portrait printed on modern Ilford double-matt paper had a tonal range the like of which I have never seen bettered. There is a tolerance to the combination of plates of purblind sensitivity coupled to simple Petzval glasses – for neither takes advantage of the other‘s shortcomings and the result is pleasingly familiar to the eye like the simple taste of honest bread and cheese.

“Modernity has paid a heavy price in quality, for the convenience of all-encompassing photographic utility. …”

The column is available on the members-only DVD as the issue 22-1 pdf file. Instructions on joining/renewing are shown above (MEMBERSHIP) and to the Right depending on the choice of payment type (Cheque, Credit Card, PayPal Account, etc.). Any questions, email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

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AI and photo history

Posted on March 7, 2025 by Robert

Girl at work on (telephone ?) cabling (date unknown)

Toronto. Some of us are bombarded by announcements about the marvellous results attained by artificial intelligence (AI).

Here at the PHSC we use some apps touted as AI, especially Topaz Photo AI (with each update this program has shown improvement). The image at left was sharpened using Focus Magic rather than the Topaz program and resized with Affinity Photo. Many digital images are slightly soft and benefit from a touch of sharpening.

Images, especially those from old journal issues are often enlarged, de-noised and sharpened before use. This often has a trade-off between the authenticity of the original image and clarity on the web.

We tend to avoid the nastier uses of AI (creating fake works of art for example). Any app that modifies an image etc seems to tout its AI aspect. The latest releases of various OS software, including macOS,  have some AI elements embedded in them to offer ‘suggested wording’, etc.

But what about the effect it will have on photographic history? This aspect is the subject of a coming symposium announced by TMU’s (ex-Ryerson U) Image Centre:

“From March 31 to April 2, Encoding the Image: How does AI affect the Future of Photo History? will bring together historians, curators, and computer scientists to examine AI’s role in photography research and collection management. Organized by Dr. Thierry Gervais, the forum fosters dialogue among scholars and professionals. Registration is required—learn more about the sessions, speakers, and how to attend on our website.”

Although we look at historical photographic equipment, photographs, and history, not the future, this coming symposium will be of considerable interest!

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a better mouse trap

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Robert

Some of Talbot’s ‘mousetraps’ by Catherine Weed-Ward (detail from her 1905 negative)

Toronto. Past president, author, and sports photographer Les Jones sent me a note the other day on an interesting article about Henry’s lost cameras.

In January of 1839, Two unique means to capture images created by sunlight were announced. One, by Daguerre of France  showed how a silver-coated copper plate could  be used to create a permanent image called a daguerreotype.

The astonishing news caused an urgent reaction in one Englishman who already had a similar ‘permanent’ process for his personal use. Henry Fox Talbot immediately had his process announced from England. His process created a ‘negative’ image that could be used to ‘print’ any number of positive prints.

The one-off daguerreotype was initially the chosen process and rapidly spread around the civilized world. After all, it was free (except in the UK). Ultimately with numerous improvements, Talbot’s process took over and the negative/positive technique became the world-wide standard for glass plates and film.

Recently a search was initiated in the UK to track down Talbot’s cameras or ‘mousetraps’ as some called them. Larry Schaaf introduces an article titled, “The Hunt for Talbot’s Cameras” by  guest writer Roger Watson. The article describes Talbot’s cameras complete with photographs of a few of these hand made instruments as well as offering an opinion about why so few exist today.

At the right under ‘PHSC EVENTS’ are the confirmed events so far for this year. You may not find a Talbot ‘mousetrap’ but there will be lots of goodies to add to you user gear or collection!

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from mother Russia (with love??)

Posted on March 5, 2025 by Robert

c1935 Russian Sport SLR minicam using 35mm film in a special cassette.

Toronto. Issue 22-1 features a selection of cameras from our 1996 spring fair as photographed by Bob Lansdale and assisted by Tiit Kodar. Among the offered goodies was this rare Russian camera, the USSR Sport from 1935.

The photo for this post is the smallish image in issue 22-1 ably enlarged by Topaz Photo AI, and enhanced by Focus Magic, and Affinity Photo.

The Sport was possibly the first minicam SLR design (a debate ensued with the Kine Exakta maker – it was marketed in 1936) The Sport takes 50 shots (24 mm x 36 mm) using a special cassette (cassettes were not yet standardized).

It has an optical finder for direct eye-level shots. You can see a large awkward box on top of the camera – it serves as a hood for the SLR viewing magnifier. The beast uses an Industar 10 lens with a top aperture of f/3.5 and a fixed 50mm focal length.

The camera uses a focal plane shutter rated at B, plus a range of 1/25 – 1/500 speeds.

The dealer who owned the camera had an asking price of $450 back about 30 years ago.   By the way, see the location and dates for our confirmed events this year to the right under ‘PHSC EVENTS’. We can’t promise a USSR Sport camera will show up, but you will find lots of intriguing goodies to expand your collection!  

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aptly chosen words …

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Robert

Preston Springs Hotel by Stan White, c1996

Toronto. Various photographers have chosen to pick popular city locations which were photographed many decades ago, and show what they look like today given roughly the same field of view, etc.

In our journal issue 22-1, the late Stan White chose to compare stereo views “then and now”. The example here is the “Preston Springs Hotel”, just a bit west of the city. In his article titled, “Then and Now”, Stan begins, “Many people think that history finished the day they were born. It comes as surprise to an old man to find that the young consider him history. Many of us see our short sojourn through life as though from a railway station looking back down the tracks of time.

“We should be thinking of ourselves as passengers on a train speeding into the future at the same speed it is leaving the past behind – a train whose passengers are feverishly making history.

“It behooves all historical societies not to become s0 involved in the past that they have no time for the present, for the present is the history of the future. We live in a young society. In Ontario, even if we include the aboriginal tapestry, there is little tangible pictorial, historical evidence that goes back more than 250 years. Perhaps a little more or a little less in other parts of Canada.”

Members can read Stan’s thought provoking article in the issue 22-1 pdf file on the members-only free DVD which contains the first 40 volumes of “Photographic Canadiana” including an index of all articles (the index is in various formats). Those not a member at present can follow the instructions above (paying by cheque, etc.) or at right (paying by credit card or PayPal account). Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.  PS: Help us out, please indicate whether your membership is NEW or a RENEWAL. Enjoy!

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