Tag Archives: LIFE

Henri does Havana

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. On page 28 of the March 15, 1963 issue of LIFE magazine begins an article on Cuba after the revolution featuring the words and photos of the great French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Bresson is usually thought of in terms … Continue reading →

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imagine! colour in 60 seconds!

Posted on April 6, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. With smartphones, FaceTime, Skype, etc all using full time live video today, a still colour print in 60 seconds is a big yawn. But, picture photography in early 1963: To see any  photograph – colour or black and white, … Continue reading →

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what’s in your wallet?

Posted on April 3, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Not to be out done by Airequipt, Argus posted a two page spread (pp 10, 11) in the November 30, 1962 issue of LIFE magazine offering 10,ooo free prizes in the “ARGUS HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY”. The offer was limited to … Continue reading →

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cough, cough

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Robert

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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film savings nearly 60 years ago

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. My good friend George Dunbar is a fabulous source of suggestions and inspirations as he pursues photographic history as reflected in magazine advertisements last century. Today’s item stems from George’s email a few days back showing a collaboration between … Continue reading →

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wishful thinking …

Posted on March 22, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. When Edwin Land announced the famous Polaroid Land system a few years after the war, dealers had difficulty keeping the “picture-in-a-minute” cameras and film in stock.  By the time this ad showed up, the Polaroid system was down to … Continue reading →

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snap, snap. snap, snapshot

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Post World War 2, American photography companies worked hard to capture a segment of the amateur photography market. The most popular strategies were flash (for night and indoor shots), Colour (for realism), fast results (seeing how a shot turned … Continue reading →

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roll on

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar threw a challenge the other day. He asked if anyone knew about or heard about the ROLLAPRINT system as advertised on page 4 in the May 26, 1961 issue of LIFE. It is full page so it … Continue reading →

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You Oughta Be in Pictures …

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. … as Rudy Vallee sang in the 1934 song of the same name. Just about a quarter decade later, Fairchild promoted its Cinephonic 8mm sound movie camera by advertising a Warner Brothers screen test for Hollywood talent! The ad … Continue reading →

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KISS Photography

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Photography in the terms of cameras followed the Keep it Simple, Stupid (KISS) philosophy for decades from the very beginning.  A box in a box served to adjust focus before bellows and threaded tubes came along. A ground glass … Continue reading →

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