{"id":31057,"date":"2025-03-23T01:03:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T05:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/?p=31057"},"modified":"2025-03-21T00:17:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T04:17:57","slug":"not-kit-carson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/not-kit-carson\/","title":{"rendered":"not Kit Carson"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

portrait of Walter Carsen c1996 by Robert Lansdale<\/p><\/div>\n

Toronto<\/strong>. As camera collectors, did you ever wonder how the instruments you cherish and lust after made it here as new products to be marketed by retail shops across our nation? For example, I recall the late Bill Belier telling me J F Hartz<\/a> imported optical instruments wholesale including Leitz microscopes.<\/p>\n

When Leitz introduced the Leica camera, Hartz decided not to import their cameras or camera lenses. Walter Carveth stepped into the breach becoming the importer of Leitz cameras and accessories along with Minox products, etc.<\/p>\n

Bill himself (after WW2) was a rep for camera products, eventually becoming president of a small private importer.\u00a0In issue 22-4 of the journal, Bob Lansdale wrote up his interview with a retired Walter Carsen. The article is titled, “50 Years Ago” and covers the saga of the post war camera import business in Canada in general and the Carsen group in particular.<\/p>\n

Bob begins his report, “A<\/span>t <\/span>th<\/span>e e<\/span>nd of <\/span>the <\/span>Second <\/span>Wo<\/span>rld Wa<\/span>r in <\/span>1945 a<\/span>nd\u00a0<\/span>w<\/span>ith <\/span>th<\/span>e re<\/span>turn <\/span>of tr<\/span>oop<\/span>s <\/span>t<\/span>o civili<\/span>an lif<\/span>e, th<\/span>ere <\/span>was a\u00a0n<\/span>eed t<\/span>o find <\/span>con<\/span>s<\/span>um<\/span>er <\/span>goods t<\/span>o fill <\/span>th<\/span>e empt<\/span>y m<\/span>ar<\/span>kets.<\/span><\/p>\n

“In <\/span>th<\/span>e ph<\/span>ot<\/span>ogr<\/span>aphi<\/span>c fi<\/span>el<\/span>d<\/span>, <\/span>l<\/span>oca<\/span>tin<\/span>g n<\/span>ew equipm<\/span>ent init<\/span>i<\/span>ated <\/span>a scr<\/span>amb<\/span>l<\/span>e t<\/span>o est<\/span>abli<\/span>s<\/span>h <\/span>Ca<\/span>n<\/span>adi<\/span>an <\/span>co<\/span>mpani<\/span>es wh<\/span>o\u00a0coul<\/span>d imp<\/span>o<\/span>rt <\/span>a<\/span>nd <\/span>distribute sca<\/span>r<\/span>ce <\/span>p<\/span>ro<\/span>du<\/span>c<\/span>t<\/span>s <\/span>that co<\/span>uld\u00a0<\/span>b<\/span>e <\/span>found thr<\/span>o<\/span>u<\/span>g<\/span>h<\/span>o<\/span>ut <\/span>the worl<\/span>d. <\/span>Durin<\/span>g <\/span>th<\/span>e wa<\/span>r <\/span>“<\/span>th<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>cam<\/span>era <\/span>exch<\/span>a<\/span>n<\/span>ge” was <\/span>th<\/span>e onl<\/span>y\u00a0so<\/span>ur<\/span>ce t<\/span>o pur<\/span>cha<\/span>se u<\/span>sea<\/span>ble\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>quipme<\/span>nt that h<\/span>a<\/span>d been <\/span>trade<\/span>d\u00a0i<\/span>n <\/span>by <\/span>oth<\/span>er<\/span>s.<\/span><\/p>\n

“In <\/span>1<\/span>946 <\/span>W<\/span>alt<\/span>er <\/span>Carse<\/span>n<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>being d<\/span>e<\/span>m<\/span>o<\/span>bili<\/span>ze<\/span>d <\/span>from th<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>Ca<\/span>n<\/span>adi<\/span>an<\/span>. <\/span>Army, <\/span>h<\/span>ad <\/span>t<\/span>o <\/span>decide\u00a0how h<\/span>e <\/span>was go<\/span>in<\/span>g <\/span>to m<\/span>ake <\/span>a\u00a0li<\/span>v<\/span>in<\/span>g. <\/span>He <\/span>had the <\/span>l<\/span>uc<\/span>k <\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>accomp<\/span>an<\/span>y a de<\/span>l<\/span>egati<\/span>on <\/span>of <\/span>th<\/span>e\u00a0T<\/span>oro<\/span>nt<\/span>o Ch<\/span>amb<\/span>er <\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>Com<\/span>m<\/span>er<\/span>ce as it <\/span>t<\/span>our<\/span>ed <\/span>Eur<\/span>op<\/span>e.\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>t <\/span>was <\/span>during <\/span>thi<\/span>s <\/span>trip tha<\/span>t\u00a0Walt<\/span>er r<\/span>enewed business<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>co<\/span>n<\/span>tacts <\/span>with so<\/span>m<\/span>e <\/span>of <\/span>th<\/span>e <\/span>m<\/span>a<\/span>nu<\/span>facturers in <\/span>Fran<\/span>ce, <\/span>Germany\u00a0a<\/span>nd E<\/span>ng<\/span>land whom <\/span>he <\/span>h<\/span>ad\u00a0<\/span>kn<\/span>ow<\/span>n prio<\/span>r to <\/span>the <\/span>war <\/span>w<\/span>he<\/span>n h<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>was a <\/span>binocul<\/span>ar distributor.” …<\/span><\/p>\n

Members read the rest of Bob’s report – and all of issue 22-4 in the relevant pdf file on the free members-only DVD. To join, see the notes above (under MEMBERSHIP menu item) and at the right. Any questions, just email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toronto. As camera collectors, did you ever wonder how the instruments you cherish and lust after made it here as new products to be marketed by retail shops across our nation? For example, I recall the late Bill Belier telling … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1944],"tags":[2017,14,4710,4709],"class_list":["post-31057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","tag-article","tag-film","tag-importer","tag-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31057"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31057\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31062,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31057\/revisions\/31062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}