drawing from Dags

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Robert

engraving of Harriet Beecher Stowe from a Daguerreotype

Toronto. We had the pleasure of hearing speaker Philippe Maurice from Alberta back in November, 1996. In issue 17-3 Philippe has an article titled, “The Artist’s Hand – Engravings Based on Daguerreotypes”. This harkens back to Daguerre’s original idea for the photograph – a means to capture a scene for painting his dioramas at leisure.

At left is an image from the engraving of author, Harriet Beecher Stowe based on the daguerreotype she sat for in a studio.

Philippe begins speaking about Stowe, “In 1850 Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (18 11 – 1896) accompanied her husband from Ohio to his new teaching position at Bowdoin College in Maine.

“That same year Stowe stopped in Boston to visit her brother Henry Ward Beecher. She found him a sympathetic supporter of her strong feelings against human slavery and received encouragement to express her thoughts in writing. Two years later she published Uncle Tom’s Cabin which sold 300,000 copies in the first year of publication – 10,000 in the first week – and was ultimately translated into twenty-three languages.

“Though the book was received with much attention, its reception was (except for abolitionist press) almost uniformly hostile.”

Members read the entire article on the PHSC DVD sent to all members. To join, please see the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ menu item above and/or the right side panel. ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’. Questions? Email our Membership Secretary Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

By the way, old photos and cameras etc are available at our fall events. The next event is the October 20th fall fair. Details here.

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a commercial focus …

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Robert

Garden Party at Stanley Barracks. 1904 by Alex Galbraith from
City of Toronto Archives SC 568-392 (gift of the Globe and Mail newspaper)

Toronto. Issue 17-3 has an article on commercial  photography by Toronto’s City Archivist, Steve MacKinnon. The photo at left shows the lack of sky detail in early work when all films were orthochromatic (insensitive to red and barely sensitive to orange, green, etc.). The use of  yellow ‘partial’ filters would later bring out cloud detail in the sky.

Ev introduces the archivist thusly, “Steve MacKinnon was educated at St. Paul University, Ottawa and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto [now TMU] where he received the degree of Bachelor of Fine Art in 1981.

“Since 1983 he has been archivist at the City of Toronto Archives. He has had four solo exhibitions of photography in Canada, participated in numerous group exhibitions and produced an a-v dance presentation for the Douglas Nielson Dance Company of New York.

“As curator, the 1988 Market Gallery exhibition “The Camera at Work” and the current “A Commercial Focus” are the result of his expertise.”.

Near the beginning of his article, McKinnon says, “F. W. Micklethwaite and Alexander W. Galbraith were accomplished commercial photographers, active during a period of rapidly escalating urban growth and development.

“Between 1890 and 1915 the population of Toronto doubled as a result of immigration and annexation. Financial institutions, insurance companies and the manufacturing sector flourished during the economic boom of the 1890’s. The construction of landmark buildings altered Toronto’s skyline as the city progressed toward corporate dominance in Canada.

“Public buildings such as Massey Hall (1893), Holy Blossom Temple ( I895), E. J. Lennox’s City Hall (1899), and the King Edward Hotel (1903), appeared downtown, while the elite built their suburban Rosedale and Avenue Road homes, often in the style of English gentry mansions.

“Casa Loma, Sir Henry Pellatt’s hilltop Castle (1909-1914), was perhaps the most conspicuous symbol of the fortunes acquired during the early years of this century. It overlooked the city in marked contrast to the problems of public welfare which inevitably accompany rapid growth.”.

Members read the entire article on the PHSC DVD sent to all members. To join, see the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above and/or ‘Members – Join or Renew Now!’ at the right. Questions? Ask Lilianne, our membership Secretary member@phsc.ca.

And our events are a great source of new items for your collection. The next event is the fall fair on October 20th.  See the post here for details.

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Shinjuku’s Lost Paradise – Toronto Program Oct 2024

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Robert

photo from the “Shinjuku’s Lost Paradise” ZOOM presentation

Toronto. Join us on the 16th of October, 2024 at 8:00 pm for “Shinjuku’s Lost Paradise” the latest presentation by Dutch journalist and photographer based in Japan, Kjeld Duits, via ZOOM. Mr Duits last spoke with us in March of this year to a strongly attended ZOOM audience.

NOTE: We sent out a ‘blast’ to all contacts on our MailChimp list (with valid email addresses) about this exciting event. Sign up for free on Eventbrite here.  Not on our list? Send an email to news@phsc.ca to be added.

Questions? email either our programme director, Celio Barreto at program@phsc.ca or our president Clint Hryhorijiw at fair@phsc.ca. And remember, visit one of our fall events (next up is our fall fair on October 20th) – you may just see a photograph or another neat item for your collection (or user gear).

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smile – you’re on candid camera

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Robert

smile …

Toronto. We have all heard that in the 1800s people in photos had a stern, serious, unsmiling  expression. A ZOOM talk this month on October 10th (tomorrow) sheds some light on this assumption.  Our friends at the Monmouth County (NJ) Historical Association (MCHA) are hosting Gary Saretzky. Gary’s presentation is, “Why Didn’t People Smile in Old Photos? …or Did They?”.

“Back in the early days of photography in the 1840s, photographers said, “Say Prunes!” instead of “Say Cheese!” to get a facial expression considered appropriate for a portrait.

“Most sitters continued to display serious faces until the 20th century. Yet a
small percentage of extant 19th century portraits show people smiling.

“Illustrated with numerous examples, including some celebrity portraits, this
lecture explores the smiling/not smiling continuum in 19th century photographic portraiture.”

Visit the MCHS website here for registration details.

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bang! you’re shot …

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Robert

a Doryu pistol camera ad for the December 1991 Christie’s auction

Toronto. The late 1930s saw the rise in so called subminiature cameras with the Minox arguably the best known. To stand out, the Doryu company in Japan marketed this novel submini that used 16mm film.

The one shown at left was auctioned the end of 1991 in England by Christie’s. It went for an astounding $20,000US – far beyond earlier private sales or even the auction house estimate.

Michael Pritchard (our guest speaker October, 1997) announced in print (our back cover illustration for issue 17-3), “One of the best collections of subminiature and detective cameras is being sold at Christie’s. Put together by a British collector it features a Lancaster watch camera, Doryu pistol camera, Brins patent camera, focal-plane Expo police camera, Parker Pen camera, Parva camera, Minox cameras, a Lucky Strike camera (one of two known) and a range of matchbox cameras.

“Cameras disguised as watches, guns, radios, lighters, vanity cases, rings and a very extensive range of Japanese subminiature and Hit-type cameras are also included.

“A catalogue illustrating most of the 250 lots will be available from the end of October [1991]. For further information or for an illustrated catalogue please contact Michael Pritchard …”.

While we never know just what will show up at our fairs, we do know you will find the very thing to augment your collection (or user gear). Drop in on Sunday, October 20th. Lots of free parking around, there will be the usual great food, admission is cheap, and you may well meet old fiends! See the post and poster here for details.

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disaster shown in stereo

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Robert

A rail disaster in late 1876 out of London ON travelling east

Toronto. In issue 17-3, Bob Wilson’s ‘image’ column features his article titled, “Terrible Accident on the Great Western Railway” and shows a stereo view of the 1876 wreck (see left).

Bob begins his tale, “The above title is the main headline that greeted the readers of The Globe [Toronto Globe and Mail] on Friday, October 6, 1876. At about one o’clock in the morning of October 5th, the night mail train of the Great Western Railway, with two engines pulling it, was travelling eastward from London.

“Just west of Princeton Station (which is just west of Paris, Ontario, on the line between London and Hamilton), one of the tender wheels on the lead engine broke in two. The broken half fell across the track derailing the second engine.

“The baggage car and two others were also derailed and caught fire. Five people died in the accident – two employees riding in the second engine and two employees and one passenger riding the baggage car. The 250 other passengers on the train suffered nothing beyond minor scratches.”

The disaster was captured in stereo and printed on stereo cards by a small company in NY state. The whole story and the image are on the PHSC DVD sent to all members. Hey! It’s easy to join (and cheap) – just follow the direction under ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above and/or ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ at left. Email any questions to Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

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remember those Tom Swift books?

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Robert

A typical ‘Tom Swift’ book cover

Toronto. From time to time an article in our journal was not about cameras, photos, or photographic history. An example in issue 17-3 is the article on the Tom Swift book series. The book illustrated is of interest since it is a tale about a “photo telephone” which predicted the now ubiquitous ‘smart phone’ with its colour camera, digital imaging and ability to send any photo anywhere in an instant.

Ev describes how he came to get the material for this article as follows, “In a small, shabby office in downtown Manhattan, a man named Edward Stratemeyer, something of an inventor in his own right, kept a close watch on the trends of popular interest. Stratemeyer was a writer of juvenile literature, but to describe him simply as an author of childrens books would be a massive understatement. He was probably the most prolific author of successful juvenile books, or for that matter of books of any kind, in publishing history.

“The above, written by Arthur Prager in American Heritage, December 1976 began an excellent article on Stratemeyer, a copy of which was sent by Patricia Belier (our most prolific East Coast contributor) to our Curator.”

Note that Pat is the daughter of the late Bill Belier, an early PHSC president. I have read a few of the ‘Tom Swift’ books myself. A neighbour had a small library of these little gems.

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seeing stereo

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Robert

Polaroid Stereo c1985

Toronto. In issue 17-2, Ev printed part one of an article by Dr. Harvey A. Kader, B.Sc., M.Sc., O.D. called, “Stereopsis and Stereoacuity”. Part 1 covers the physiological and optical basis for stereo vision.

At left is a relatively modern stereo slide shot on the wonderful but short lived Polaroid colour transparency film.

Ev introduces Dr Kader as follows, “Dr. Harvey A. Kader is an optometrist. He has a great interest in all aspects of photography and cameras. He has a B.Sc. in biochemistry, and a M.Sc. in chemistry, both degrees from McGill University. His O.D.degree is from the University of Waterloo.

“Dr. Kader’s graduate research was on the development of potential anti-cancer and anti-viral medicines. He is a part-time clinic faculty member at the School Of Optometry, University of Waterloo, in addition to private practice in Toronto.”

All of Dr Kader’s article and illustrations are available on the PHSC DVD sent to all members. Not a member? Well, it’s a simple and inexpensive process! See the material above under the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ menu item and/or at right as “Membership – Join or Renew!”. Questions? Send a brief email message to Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

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a fair bit of excitement …

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Robert

Crowd at the Spring Fair in 1991

Toronto.Fairs always bring excitement. Our spring fair 33 years or so ago was no different. In issue 17-2 of our journal, Bob Lansdale’s photos like the one at left were reproduced while Larry Boccioletti summarized the event saying, “Although it took more work than previous Fairs, it was a resounding success.

“John Alldredge’s evaluation table appraised some twenty cameras; eighty-one tables offered innumerable items; 608 discount tickets (of which 157 were clipped from news papers) were collected. No actual count of total admissions was made but the photo page by Bob Lansdale tells the story.”

You may not have been around back then, or perhaps you were too young to collect photographic goodies. You can make it up now by visiting our latest fall fair on October 20, 2024!  Lots of free parking in the area, delicious food, inexpensive admission, and a chance to discover new goodies for your collection or use! This link gives details and directions.

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a “something” camera

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Robert

Bill Belier’s ‘something’ back in fall, 1991 courtesy of Ev Roseborough

Toronto. Did you ever see a one-off camera? Bill Belier found such a beast that was once used in a studio. In issue 17-2 Ev writes and illustrates this captivating find by Bill Belier in an article titled: [Identify] Bill’s “Something”; win a book!

Ev describes his first encounter with Bill and the beast, “Recently one evening the ‘phone rang and a familiar voice enquired if we had finished dinner. This immediately set him apart from most other callers to the Editor who usually launch into their discourse as soon as the receiver is lifted.

“The caller was Bill Belier and the conversation went something like this:

“I have bought a ‘something’. perhaps you can tell me what it is?”

“Half an hour later a perspiring Bill struggled up the steps. clutching a huge wooden contraption which he deposited on the floor with a thud.”

Members back in 1991 read the story in their copy of the journal. Recent members could also read the story, but as a pdf file on the ‘members only’ DVD. It is easy to join – see ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above or ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ at the right. Drop Lilianne Schneider an email at member@phsc.ca if you have questions.

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