some thoughts on collecting

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Robert

Marche Aux Puces – Sunday morning flea market in Leige, Belgium. February 25, 1945 near the end of WW2

Toronto. It is sometimes said one person’s junk is another’s treasure. John Naslanic, past president and editor for MiPHS, suggests this in an 1990 article titled, “Collecting: This is not a museum- this junk is for sale.”

John’s article is at the height of camera and image collecting. He uses anecdotes and illustrations to make his case. His article on the subject begins, “Someone somewhere will collect almost anything and it’s a good thing that not everyone wants to same thing. With the coming of warm weather, the season for outdoor collecting has begun – garage sales, flea markets and antique shows.

“You may have heard of the ultimate down-east string saver, who tied every piece of string he found into a large ball. And on a shelf, he had a box marked: “Pieces of string too short to save.” Or the fellow who said,”They think I’m strange just because I like buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup.”His friend replies, “I like pancakes myself.” And the first fellow’s eyes brighten up and he says, “You do? You must see mine! I’ve got two closets full of ’em!”

“As you know by now, the world is divided into “tossers” and “savers”. The tosser says, “When in doubt, throw it out.” The tosser is always trying to borrow something from the saver, because he threw his away. The saver says, ” It is better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it,” and then looks for a place to put it.”

Members read the full article in the pdf format of issue 16-2 on the free to members PHSC DVD disk. What? You aren’t a member yet? No sweat! Signing up is easy and inexpensive. See the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above and the paragraphs to the right marked “Membership – Join or Renew!”. Any questions? Email our Membership Secretary, Lilianne Schneider at member@phsc.ca.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on some thoughts on collecting

boxed set stereo cards

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Robert

Viewing a card from the Italy boxed set of Underwood & Underwood stereo cards c1908

Toronto. People occasionally see a book-shaped box containing stereo cards – the pre-movie, pre-radio, pre-tv 3D entertainment phenomenon. Many name distributors of stereo cards took to box sets around the late 1800s. A detailed written guide was often available for a price to expand on each card.

Many boxed sets covered travel topics (like the Italy box being used by the viewer shown at left). Other boxed sets were of an educational nature, usually addressed to teachers.

Bob Wilson, in his Image of the Month column in issue 16-1 introduces an image demonstrating a typical boxed set, saying “Most stereo collectors, and certainly boxed set collectors would long to have a shelf like the one shown in this 1908 view by Underwood and Underwood [image at left].

“The main bookshelf, behind the man looking through the stereo viewer, contains 32 Underwood and Underwood boxed sets, with more in view on the second bookshelf farther back. He is looking at a stereo view from the Italy set, while consulting the guide book and referring to the view location on the map.

“Underwood and Underwood began publishing boxed sets of stereo cards in the late 1890’s. These usually contained 100 stereo views, but sets with as few as 12 cards were published. The cards were stored in boxes which resembled books from the end. The nominal 100 card set came in a box that looked like two books.

“The Italy Box that is open on the table in this view contains 100 cards. Along with most sets, Underwood and Underwood also published a descriptive guide book, although its purchase was optional.”

Yep! You guessed it. Members can view all of Bob’s column in the issue 16-1 pdf file on the (free to members) DVD. Non-members can sign up tout de suite using the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ item above on the menu bar or the ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ guideline to the right. It’s easy and inexpensive to be a member! Questions? Drop a line to Lilianne Schneider, our Membership Secretary at member@phsc.ca.

Visit our fall events to search out stereo cards (and other goodies) to fill the empty spots in your collection. Next up is our Fall Fair on October 20th.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on boxed set stereo cards

… paul stranded, nearly …

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Robert

Strand is simply the biggest, widest most commanding talent in the history of American photography.
– Susan Sontag, New York Review of Books

Toronto. About 50 years ago, I saw a few of the works of Paul Strand. His 1917 photograph of a blind woman shows up in many places. The photograph by Strand of people scurrying along Wall Street past the J P Morgan building two years earlier  (titled Wall Street is even more compelling (to me).

But while many books show Strand’s work, there are few details of the man himself. In issue 16-1, editor Ev Roseborough adds two thought provoking articles, First is titled. “Strand – Under the Dark Cloth“.  It offers excerpts from a review of John Walker’s film of the same name.  The film premiered at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto in early 1990. The second of Ev’s articles, “Paul Strand, 1890-1976”, gives a thumb-nail history of the iconic photographer.

Note: The title of this post is a riff on a line in  the Simon and Garfunkel song, “A Simple Desultory Philippic”, a satire of Bob Dylan sung here by S&G. The song appeared on the LP Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (which I have).

Members read the pdf version of issue 16-1 on the PHSC DVD (free to members). Not a member? Well it’s so easy (and cheap)! See the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above or the ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ paragraphs to the right of this web page, Questions? Drop an email to Lilianne Schneider, our Membership Secretary at member@phsc.ca.

I”ll end this post with another plug to visit our fall events, the next one being our Fall Fair on October 20th.

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on … paul stranded, nearly …

a (slightly)southern fair

Posted on August 31, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. William Christen sent off a note the other day to Cindy Motzenbecker and other MiPHS members  announcing their fall fair on October 6, 2024 along with the postcard/poster shown here. Drop around and see what you can find to fill that gap in your collection.

Cindy Motzenbecker of MiPHS is well known to both the PHSC and the Daguerreian Society. Cindy has an extensive image collection which she has shared with others (She presented a selection of her image collection to us, via ZOOM back in April, 2023, and joined our Show and Tell in  February of this year via ZOOM, amongst other talks/visits/posts).

The famous MiPHS show down in Royal Oaks, Michigan

Posted in activities-other | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on a (slightly)southern fair

oh! what a wonderful war

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Robert

C.E.F. Grenadier Guards 87th Battalion, in trenches together at Armentieres, Feb. 1915 – photo by Horace Brown. Courtesy: National Archives of Canada, Doc. Art and Photography Div., PA- I07237.

Toronto.In issue 15-5, another fine article by Andrew Rodger was reproduced from ‘Archivaria’, the magazine of the NAC up Ottawa way. The photo at left, adjusted in Topaz AI and Affinity Photo. is from Andrew’s article.

Andrew begins the article titled ‘Amateur Photography by Soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force‘, “At the outbreak of war in 1914, governments and military authorities in both Canada and Britain gave themselves very wide powers of control over publications and photography, the stated fear being that the enemy might learn valuable information through photographs.

“This fear was so exaggerated in Britain that, under the Defense of the Realm Act, photographers even found themselves “in conflict with authority for innocently portraying a peasant at work in the fields, or a fishing boat at sea.  Moreover, military personnel were ignoring the General Routine Orders prohibiting “the taking of photographs and the send- ing of drawings and photographs to the Press.”

“Shortly after the Canadian Expeditionary Force arrived in France, Routine Order 189 ordered that “all cameras are to be sent home, each camera being examined by the censor before the parcel is passed by him, to ensure that there is no film in it.”

Members could read the full article in the pdf file for issue 15-5 on the ‘free to members’ DVD. Not yet a member? See the ‘MEMBERSHIP’ menu item above and/or the Membership paragraph at the right and sign up today! Questions? Give Lilianne Schneider, our Membership Secretary, an email at member@phsc.ca.

Of course collectors should attend our fall events to check out the photography items that just might suit their collection. Next up is our fall fair on October 20th. A poster with details goes up on the site here in mid September.

Note: the title of this post is a riff on the film title, “Oh! What a Lovely War“.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on oh! what a wonderful war

what the heck is this camera

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Robert

front, top  and bottom view of an unusual movie camera

Toronto. The other day Les Jones dropped me a note about a strange movie camera. Was it used to take movies? Or to take a shot one frame at a time with enough room for hundreds of shots on a reel of film?

Les augments the photos by saying, “Wondered if anyone can provide any info on this unusual movie camera? I cannot find any info on line: Ansco 16mm film reel, Tessar f2.7, 1.5cm lens, weighs over 6 lb, metal body.

The sturdy construction suggests it was intended for industrial use. Please drop me a note if you have a suggestion, or even better, a make/model number and/or intended use. Use the info@phsc.ca address and I can send your ideas on to Les.

Posted in camera | Tagged , , | Comments Off on what the heck is this camera

a flat Kodak – Photogram 52-3 fall 2024

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Robert

c1895 Flat Folding Kodak (roll film)

Toronto. The latest Photogram is out in pdf and hard copy format. This 27 page edition has many stories and articles of interest to collectors. Join the MiPHS and get a copy today!

The article ‘The Flat Folding Kodak: “The Cyclists and Tourist’s Comrade” By Rob Niederman‘ is a fine example of the photography, research and writing skills that go into each story and article in the Photogram.

Rob begins his article, “In late 2023 I acquired a fine example of the elusive Flat Folding Kodak—a camera I had been chasing for over 20 years. When starting my usual research, I discovered a camera advertised as “The Cyclists and Tourist’s Comrade” (Photographic News. August 23, 1895) yet somewhat shrouded in mystery and often misunderstood.

“On the surface, it looks like an 1890s self-casing, roll film camera similar to the earlier Folding Kodets and later Cartridge Kodaks. Unlike those other series, which consist of many models with feature changes, there appears to be one version of [the Flat Folding Kodak in the] 400 cameras produced by Frank Brownell’s Camera Manufacturing Company for Eastman Photographic Materials Co. Ltd., London.”

Members can read the rest of this article, and enjoy all the others. See the link above or here for details.

Posted in activities-other | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on a flat Kodak – Photogram 52-3 fall 2024

high-end stereo

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Robert

Shooting Stereo in style

Toronto. There are many ways to take stereo photographs. One method is by using two  identical cameras and concocting a means to set off both shutters simultaneously. Then member, photographer  Alldyn Clark, built his own stereo base and used a couple of Hasselblads to create a nifty stereo camera,

In issue 15-5 Alldyn writes an article about his experiences in stereo (Into The Third Dimension). In his article, he uses both text and photographs. He begins as follows, “As a young boy, there had always been for me the enjoyment of classical music. I would sometimes sing to myself, picking up tunes as I walked to school each day.

“In 1941. at the age of ten, I was stricken with cerebro-spinal meningitis which left me with total deafness.

“Without hearing. I naturally took an interest in the surrounding things that I could see. One of them being motion pictures and the other, photography. I could enjoy myself and impress others with this new-found medium.

“One day in 1945 at a school for the deaf, I asked my girlfriend for her picture. She suggested that I take one myself if I wanted it badly enough. Some nerve! I was stuck; I had no camera, money or knowledge.”

Members read all of this article, learning the outcome and how to make a stereo bar too! Issue 15-5 is one of many pdf files on the free (to members) DVD which contains the first 40 volumes of our journal plus extras including a searchable index. Not a member yet? No sweat! see the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ above and the buttons to the right. Questions? Email our Membership Secretary, Lilianne Schneider at member@phsc.ca.

By the way, visit our fall events – you may even find a Hassy or two. The next event is our annual fall fair on October 20th. I will be posting details in a few weeks.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on high-end stereo

cheaper by the dozen

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Robert

an unusual Display Box for Cabinet Cards – Robert Wilson

Toronto.  From the earliest days of photography, a photographic portrait was a bit pricey for many. In the 1860s when albumen prints on CdVs came along, copies of a print became so cheap that photos could be shared. This introduced the Victorian pastime of the photo album, later collected by many. As the sales of CdVs fell off, larger size photos such as cabinet cards became the norm.

One elaborate means to display these remarkable photographs was the display box. The image at left is an unusual display box as described by Dr Wilson in his article An Unusual Cabinet Card Display Box which appears in issue 15-5 of our journal.

Bob’s article begins, “Nearly every home in the mid to late 19th century had an assortment of portraits of family and friends on display. These were usually mounted on cards inscribed with a credit for the photographer.

“The 2 1/2 by 4 inch carte-de-visite [CdV] was most popular in the early 1860’s. In 1867, the larger 4 1/2 by 6 1/2 inch cabinet card was introduced to improve sales as interest in the small cards was beginning to wane.

“These portraits were usually kept in photograph albums to be easily shared with visitors. Some of these were very plain, while others were quite ornate. At least one family stored their cabinet card portraits in the display box illustrated here.

“It is a wooden box with a plush yellow fabric covering. There are two glass windows on the top of the box through which you are able to see the portraits. When the box is turned upside down, two more portraits can be seen through two similar windows on the bottom.

“When the top of the box is unlocked and opened, you can see wooden frames which hold the cabinet cards. There are 23 of these frames which hold 46 portraits back to back, stacked in two piles side by side inside the box.”

Members could read the rest of the article -and all of volumes 1-40 – in pdf format on the free (to members) DVD. Not a member? Join today! See the menu item ‘MEMBERSHIP’ if you wish to send a cheque, or the buttons at right if you prefer to use a debit or credit card (or if you wish to use your personal PayPal account). Questions can be sent to our Membership Secretary, Lilianne Schneider at member@phsc.ca.

And if you collect photos or albums including display boxes, or any other photographic items, visit our events this fall. The next event is our fall fair on October 20th.

Note: While the post title is a Clifton Webb movie title, I thought a song from the Cowboy Junkies as sung by Margo Timmins would be appropriate, so here is  ’cause cheap is how I feel.

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on cheaper by the dozen

Larry Gubas 1942 – 2020

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Robert

Larry Gubas in 2003 courtesy of Bob Lansdale

Toronto. Larry was our Zeiss expert. He completed his massive opus on Zeiss and Photography (©2015) just a few years before he shuffled off this mortal coil, after 78 years. The dates and some material used here are courtesy of his widow, Nancy Gubas. As noted in a 2003 post, Larry spoke to the PHSC in Toronto in May of that year. The photo at left is from that meeting and was adjusted in Topaz Photo AI.

In a more recent post, Mike Eckman mentioned on his site that Larry was the last president of the Zeiss Historica Society (ZHS) which ceased to exist in 2016. Larry spent many years in the ZHS and published three books on Zeiss products: Microscopes, Binoculars, and Photographic items. To write the books, Larry visited many collectors as well as the Zeiss facilities in Europe.

His enthusiasm and knowledge will be missed by all of us at the PHSC as well as Zeiss enthusiasts everywhere.

A Note on the ZHS: Unlike most photo collector societies, ZHS focused on ALL Zeiss products, not just cameras and accessories. At its peak, the ZHS numbered about 500 members world wide. By 2016 when it closed forever, membership was down to Larry as president and editor, and a second gentleman as treasurer (he was preparing to retire from the duty). Some of the PHSC members were also ZHS members and for a brief period the journal, Zeiss Historica, was published and printed here in Toronto.

Posted in people | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Larry Gubas 1942 – 2020