Tag Archives: fair

lighting up the night …

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. A decade or two after Edison invented the first practical electric light and Westinghouse won the idea for electricity distribution, a world’s fair was held in Buffalo NY close to Niagara Falls – the prime source of electricity in … Continue reading →

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the tale of a long lens …

Posted on April 11, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. On a chilly February 15 night in 1983, I attended the PHSC monthly meeting as I usually did each month. A young man (Leon) approached me offering a 135mm Elmar that was once his father’s.  I declined the offer … Continue reading →

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taking a shine to things

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Image collectors have a wide range of sources available for unusual old images. At left is what seems to be a tintype of a youngster polishing shoes. The image is tagged as lot 47 in the Capitol Gallery‘s Spring … Continue reading →

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can she bake a cherry pie …

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Mike Lehr in New Jersey announced his latest auction (online) starts March 28th. The auction of old photos is called, “March 2026 Unreserved Photo Auction — Curiosities, Performers & Vernacular Photography“. Click on the link at left to register … Continue reading →

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another use for paper …

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. The idea of roll film revitalized the use of sensitized paper (negatives). In fact various roll film mechanisms were developed to use the medium in cameras. An example is the Warnerke Roll Film Holder. Editor Robert Lansdale wrote about … Continue reading →

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a DAR mystery train

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Collectors of old images sometimes concentrate on transportation photos, or have a subset of their collection comprising of transportation/train photos. Here is a mystery you perhaps can solve. Jeff Ward in Halifax dropped me a line the other day … Continue reading →

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flying off the shelf …

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. … Like a bat out of hell. In late 1948, Edwin Land dropped a bombshell on the photographic world.  He put to market a revolutionary camera and film system that took a monochrome photo and developed the positive print … Continue reading →

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remembering Boris ..

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. A PHSC speaker and member, Boris first spoke at our March 2001 meeting. I did a memorial post when Boris died in August, 2017 at 81 years of age. At the time he was writing a book of his … Continue reading →

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seen any ‘lizards’ recently?

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Most of our event offerings are either German or North American. Occasionally we see English products. Rarely do we see Scottish cameras. The remarkable camera in Bill Belier’s issue 27-1 column is a rare Lizars (not lizard) from Scotland. … Continue reading →

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everything old is new again

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. There is a saying that there is nothing new under the sun. As a kid, I made a radio with a tiny bit of ‘fools gold’ (iron pyrite) and a thin copper wire ‘cat’s whisker’. This rustic semi-conductor radio … Continue reading →

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