Tag Archives: Brownie

eye of a hawk

Toronto. Traditionally, the day after Christmas is called boxing day.  It was a day to give gifts to the poor. Later on, the day became known for its wide spread sales. As time passed, many sales on other days were … Continue reading

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a TLR box camera

Toronto. In July, 1940, Kodak placed an ad in Popular Mechanics announcing its new “TLR” Brownie. The camera was short lived (1940-41) but did last a decade longer as a synchronized version taking flash bulbs. Aside from the bight full-size … Continue reading

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Photo-Era: photography over a century ago

Toronto. Photography was an exciting avocation just over a century ago. One of the magazines of the time was called Photo-Era (The American Journal of Photography). This illustrated monthly covered the photographic scene in America. This example was first published … Continue reading

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not all brownies are edible

Toronto. My mom used to make delicious brownies – deep brown and chocolaty like a very dense chocolate cake. Sometimes she would add walnut pieces too! In the late 1800s, Quebec-born Palmer Cox created the Brownies to  illustrate his Brownie … Continue reading

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lipstick

Toronto. The Brownie Super 27 camera was advertised and sold in the early 1960s. It was basically a tarted up Baby Brownie: bigger viewfinder, built in flash, better lens at f/8, two speed shutter (but failure prone apparently), horizontal construction … Continue reading

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cough, cough

Toronto. Many companies last century offered deals on non-competing products to expand their market segment. An example was Marlboro cigarettes and Kodak (in the days before the link between cigarettes and lung cancer/heart disease was legally confirmed and tobacco products … Continue reading

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taking care of business

Toronto. Winnepegger Randy Bachman has a great night time music program on the CBC Radio. When he was a member of the Bachman Turner Overdrive band, their song Taking Care of Business was a big hit. In a similar spirit, … Continue reading

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wow – movies

Toronto. 8mm home movies were all the rage over a half century ago. Fuelled by cheap equipment, fast lenses, and colour film, movie gear was one dimension of a push for a share of the blossoming post war amateur market. … Continue reading

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in the land of the blind …

Toronto. … the one eyed man is king. Have you ever noticed that consumer goods ape each other using the most popular technical advances? Radios, televisions, smart phones, computers, even cars all embrace and promote the latest whiz bang idea. … Continue reading

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what the heck is a Darb?

Toronto. In 1957, Polaroid tried a new means and a new medium to show how easy their system was to use. At the time Steve Allen was popular on evening American TV (competing for audience with Ed Sullivan). A demo … Continue reading

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