a 1950 red Holly camera as discussed in issue 35-1 of the journal
Toronto. Rats! Wrong web site! This should be about Photographica, not Christmas in July(ish). Oh well, let’s talk about the Holly camera, at least it’s Photographica. A rare, unsuccessful German plastic box camera of 1950 vintage, The Holly uses 120 roll film – just like the pro’s once used. A bit fancier than many inexpensive cameras, it comes with a lens that can be adjusted for both aperture and distance, plus a shutter with a few different speeds.
The red colour of this example is even rarer! In his column, “A Treasure From My Collection…”, the late John Kantymir writes, “In the rush after the Second World War to produce photographic equipment for the much-starved camera market, this bakelite camera was created by GOMAG (Allgauer Kamerwerkstatte Gomag) in Pfonten, Germany.
“The main reason I’ve chosen to feature it, is because it is red in colour and, as such, is the ONLY one I have ever seen or come across. If you visit our Society’s web site you can see a colour image of the camera as shown in the April 2009 PHSC E-Mail newsletter [page 8].
“I was surfing the internet when I came across three innocuous cameras which were for sale as a lot in the States. I guess you have to know your cameras to spot the unique items when they pop up amongst others. After securing the lot, I threw away two of the cameras and kept the Holly.”
Recent members can read John’s full article in the pdf version of our journal on their free DVD. Not yet a member? It’s sooo easy to join. See the right sidebar for instructions or above (click on the MEMBERSHIP menu item).
