Newsletter for January-February 1999

The first society devoted to the history of photography and the preservation of photo antiques

Make These New Year's Resolutions

1. Renew Your Membership for 1999 Send your $20 dues to: Frank Calandra, Treasurer
The Photographic Historical Society, 350 Witting Road, Webster, N.Y. 14580-9009

2. Attend Our Meetings - All regular meetings begin at 7:30 pm at the
Brighton Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Avenue, Guests are always welcome.

3. Make Program Suggestions or Present a Program

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We welcome our guest speaker to the TPHS Annual Banquet - Eaton S. Lothrop

Eaton Lothrop is one of TPHS's earliest members. A teacher, researcher and prolific writer of on many aspects of photographic history, Eaton is also a man with a "thing" about disposable cameras. His collection of them is probably the most diverse, perhaps the largest, in the world. Eaton's books on photographic history are considered classics and his frequent features in Popular Photography magazine are among of the best in any fan magazine.He lives in Miller Race, New York. We welcome Eaton back to Rochester.

This Month's Mystery Question(s)-

As the Century Turns you will hear all too much of this sort of thing, but U.S. News and World Report lists the two most significant products introduced in 1900: The Kodak Brownie box camera and the paper clip. They didn't say which was the more important.

However, according to Brian Coe's Kodak Cameras, the First Hundred Years , at least three Kodak camera lines changed the face of amateur photography, one before and two after the turn of the century:

1. In 1888 the #1 Kodak was introduced. Approximately, how many were sold?
2. In 1900 the #1 Brownie Camera was introduced. Approximately, how many were sold?
3. In 1963 the Instamatic Camera was introduced. Approximately, how many were sold?

And Then There Was Almost...the Kodak Retinaflex...

Rolf Fricke recently returned from Stuttgart, Germany, with news that will make Retina collectors salivate and many more say, "Why didn't Kodak go ahead and make it. "It" is the Kodak Retinaflex. No, not the Retina Reflex--the Retinaflex. In about 1966, prototypes were produced for a through-the-lens metering SLR, that, had it been produced, would have been the first such camera on the market. The focal plane shuttered camera bore a strong resemblance to the Retina Reflex but was otherwise an entirely different camera. Metering was accomplished by two photocells behind the prism. Three prototypes were made.

Why wasn't it produced? Since the powers who could have made such a decision are no longer available, we can only guess. A strong possibility was the fact that the gamble on Instamatic 126 system, introduced on February 8, 1963, proved such a winner that Kodak management may have been reluctant to produce anything that might detract from it. Kodak factories couldn't make enough Instamatics. Its designers were working on new models. It's an easy guess that an expensive 35mm SLR, to enterer an unknown potential market, might well have been delayed, or ignored. Kodak made its money on volume, mainly film. Cameras were usually a distant second, if at all. The Instamatic was the best of both worlds. As to picture quality, as Milton Hershey said about comments that his chocolate was not as good as others, "Perhaps not, but we sell more of it than anyone else in the world." And in the 1960's the Kodak Instamatic was the choice for the amateur's photographic sweet tooth.

More Instant Bad News From Polaroid...

For those whose hopes continue to spring eternal there is continuing bad news. January 22, Polaroid reported an unexpected fourth-quarter loss on an 11% sales decline. The net loss was $75.5 million ($1.72 a share), compared with a loss of $202.8 ($4.51 a share) million a year earlier. Excluding restructuring and other charges, the loss was about $4 million. Sales were hurt by weakness in emerging markets (Asia, etc.) and retail orders, fell to $541.8 million from $607.6 million. For the full year, Polaroid lost $51 million. Sales dropped 14% to $1.85 billion from $2.15 billion. In June, a Credit Suisse report that Polaroid's new Chief Financial Officer, Judith Boynton, planned to reduce inventories using the same "supply chain alignment program" approach her husband's used at Quaker Oats. That apparently didn't work.

Question: why does Polaroid bother to sell AGFA made color 35mm film at what must be close to cost? Wal-Mart sold two packs of 4, 24 ex, 200 speed 35mm film for $7, reduced from $5.48 each. At less than a dollar roll, at least the customer wins.

On a more positive note: Last year we reported that a Polaroid 35mm camera a relative bought for his child self-destructed with the first roll of film. Months after being returned to Polaroid a replacement had not been received. After many phone calls to Polaroid, a more advanced model finally arrived. The pictures from the camera are excellent-super sharp and well exposed. The camera was made in Malaysia.

We Can Hardly Wait Department--Attention Stereo Fans...(News Release)

The first 3D Television Channel has been launched by Chequemate International d.b.a. C-3D Digital. It will be the first network offering 3D programming exclusively to satellite dish owners, cable TV subscribers and pay-for-view lodging guests. Programming will include "sports events, entertaining movies (as opposed to non-entertaining movies?), horror, action, westerns, thrillers, dramas, and comedies", over a "vast satellite footprint that covers all 50 states and most populous areas of Canada and Northern Mexico". When connected to a TV, VCR or DVD player "the C-3D Imaging System converts all two-dimensional images into three-dimensional pictures in real-time, allowing viewers to watch everything on TV with a spectacular new level of depth and realism." C-3D Digital, Inc. recently acquired Alpha Broadcasting Communications, Inc. (ABC is an authorized pay-per-view programming service provider for Holiday Inn Express.) No further explanation as to how this system works or if glasses are required. However, some of us recall when lots of our TV images were "3-D" in much the same way as described, except that we said they had ghosts.

Introducing - An Informal Profile

Our New Feature for each issue in which we profile a collector, equipment designer, writer, or other person who makes or has made our hobby interesting. We invite you to suggest individuals--perhaps yourself--for future issues.

An Informal Profile of Jack Naylor

Any list of major photographica collectors in the USA and perhaps in the world, will have at or near the top, the squire of Chestnut Hill, MA- Jack Naylor, businessman, board member of museums and a hospital, editor, columnist, awards winner and the list goes on. But he's best known to collectors for his ability to find and acquire unique photographic equipment and images. While Jack enjoys every minute of the chase, he gets equal satisfaction in sharing the results of his efforts. Many TPHS's members have had the opportunity to view his collections, read his research articles and books or meet him at a symposium, but most do not know much about the man himself. Thus this profile.

How do we describe a man with such a passion for everything photographic that made him the subject of a cover story in Smithsonian Magazine? First, he is a person who never seems to have a bad mood. Even during a recent serious illness he retained his good humor and upbeat attitude. Outgoing even as a kid, by age 22, Jack was a radio announcer for WFBR, Baltimore MD. He had also learned to fly and in 1943 joined the Army Air Corp where he became a P-51 fighter pilot. Sent to England for a year and a half, then Captain Naylor, was checked out on B-24 bombers. Following the Normandy invasion, he flew bombing runs over the Rumanian oil fields. Discharged in 1945, he attended Fordham University, attaining a degree in economics. Next to Johns Hopkins and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Later. an Advanced Management degree from Northeastern University, Boston. Along the way, he met the late Dr. Harold Edgerton, inventor of the strobe light. They became fast friends and eventually business associates, but that is another story in itself.

From 1945-60 Jack worked in the industrial products division of the Koppers Company in Baltimore MD, where he rose from Design Engineer to Division Chief, to Division President and finally General Manager. In 1960 he and a friend were asked to help close down a defunct aircraft and automobile parts supplier near Boston, called Standard-Thompson. Going over the company's assets they found that it held important patents for essential automotive parts. Foreseeing the post-war growth in automotive manufacture, rather than closing the company, the two bought it. Jack became president and CEO. He says the hardest decision he ever had to make was to lay off half of the work force while the business turned around. But turn around it did. As automotive manufacture increased world-wide, the company would built 13 branches in 12 countries. Jack's stories of the negotiations in some of these countries are both entertaining and an insight into his personality and skill when pursuing a goal. In China, he and his wife Enid who is a lawyer, found themselves facing a long table of officials who were adamant that while they wanted a plant built, they had no dollars to license the patents. After considerable discussion, Jack said "Well, I'll take pigs." The Chinese, looked at him in disbelief. Following a lengthy discussion in Chinese, one asked, "Mr. Naylor, pigs are animals with four feet, why would you take pigs?" Jack responded, "I'll take anything I can sell and get my money." The Chinese broke out in gales of laughter--and agreed to sign the contract. What did Jack get as payment? Dollars.

The Russians were less humorous. They started negotiations with the statement that while they were willing to discuss a contract, Jack should understand they would build the plant whether he licensed the patents or not. They did build it and Jack did get paid-in dollars.

Jack's interest in photographic equipment, began in earnest in 1952. Not having the money to buy cameras, he collected and studied photographic patents from all over the world. Purchased for fifty cents each, he credits the activity with giving him a sense of not only how cameras were designed, but to some degree a feel for wha$t the designers were thinking. His study would eventually lead to the original, world class, Naylor Collection.

In June 1994, the original Naylor Collection's well publicized sale was announced. It would became the Japanese National Photographic Collection in Yokohama. Purchased by the Japanese government, the sale brought not only awe but controversy. Its size-32,000 pieces, weight-31 tons, and purchase price, seemed as awesome as the rarity of many of its items. Most of all, people wondered why didn't it stay in the USA. Jack explains that for years he had frequent discussions with museums, universities and other interested groups. None could, or would , provide the display and upkeep that the materials required. Nor was there the passion that the Japanese displayed for photography. Yes, the price was good, and he believes, reasonable. And, he points out that, like many collectors, he enjoys the idea that the effort that went into amassing his collection can now be enjoyed by a far greater audience today, and maintained as it should be, for generations to come.

Mo on Mr. Rowe...and Syracuse's Hendrick's...

Tim Holden adds to our item last issue on Rochester's Rowe Photo's status as one of Kodak's earliest dealers. Apparently the original Mr. Rowe was a man of strong convictions. He was an early Kodak dealer, whether one of the very first is debatable as all other Rochester camera stores were also Kodak dealers. Rowe, however, was different in that he believed he should be able to also sell competing lines such as Ansco. It was reported that George Eastman not only looked askance at that idea, but regarded it as heresy. Pressure was applied to Rowe, but Rowe stood firm, stating that he should be able to sell whatever lines he wanted to or he would drop the Kodak dealership-a real sacrilege in Rochester at the time. Rowe continued to sell both Kodak and Ansco films and there is no record of further comment from Kodak-at least publicly.

Leon Jacobson (in sunny Ft. Myers, Fl) writes us that Hendricks Photo Supply, 221 Walton St. in Armory Square in Syracuse began business in 1860. They were sent one of the 1888 original Kodak replicas, made to celebrate Kodak's 100th anniversary, with a letter that they were an early dealer. Leon notes that it's worth a trip 7to Hendricks which is an old fashioned store, cluttered with old photo items. "Petey" Hillenbrand, a member of the present owner's family, runs the place and is there on weekdays. Go early and first visit Provisions, across the street. It's a great bakery that serves breakfasts and light lunches. Leon says their breakfast pastries and muffins are second to none.

Tim Holden...A follow-up on University Microfilm/B&H/Etc.

Our recent TPHS Newsletter item on University Microfilm, now a part of Bell & Howell, reminded Tim of a little know bit of Graflex history. In the 1920's the National Geographic Society teamed up with the US Army Air Corps to send a data recording balloon into the stratosphere from Rapid City, SD. The project was led by Capt. Albert Stevens. In the first attempt the basket crashed on landing with damage to the the recording cameras and magazines. However, parts of the equipment that had been made by Graflex remained, for the most part, light tight, which allowed salvage of some records.

When the next flight was proposed for 1935, only Graflex was asked to provide a complete set of recording cameras holding 100 ft of 35mm double perforated film. About the same time, there was an increased interest in the new field of microfilm. Edson Hineline, a Graflex engineer-and a true free thinker-proposed using the basic stratosphere magazine in a portable device for microfilming documents, regardless of their location. Kodak was also developing the Recodak system for that purpose, but their unit was large and required sending documents to Rochester or building cameras specifically for the needs of users. Also Recordak was leased rather than sold. While others were considering entering the market, no one had yet really challenged Kodak.

The new Graflex development was the Graflex Photorecord Microfilm Outfit. It consisted of a sturdy base, which was also half of the carrying case, a three section column and the camera with a special 75mm Wollensak f/6.3-later f4.5- lens in a special heavy duty Betax shutter with T, B and slow speeds, the fastest being 1/25 sec. The outfit had it's own lighting system with adjustable arms for 4 No.1 photofloods. In use the operator stepped on a foot pedal connected by a pneumatic tube to a mercury switch which switched the lights from series to parallel for full brightness. The camera with magazine and lens was mounted on a bracket which allowed adjustment of height for variable reduction ratios.

Introduced in Denver at the American Library Association convention, it attracted considerable attention. Among those interested was Eugene Power of Edwards Bros. Printing Co. of Ann Arbor MI. The firm had developed a process for printing doctoral dissertations in a less expensive way than usually employed. Gene liked the new product, bought a few and formed University Microfilms. He placed the Graflex units in strategic places such as the Bibliotech Nationale in Paris, the Vatican Library and others, copying books and documents from the past 500 years. The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) equipped their genealogy investigators with Photorecord units to store their findings from all over the US and elsewhere on microfilm. This was the basis for their now famous genealogy files.

With the advent of WWII microfilm outfits were used to make identification pictures. But, they were rather clumsy, so Graflex evolved the Photorecord into the Photorecord ID outfit, used in military instillations and manufacturing plants all over the country. Graflex also provided supplies to develop the film, make prints and complete ID badges. Some five and a half million sets of badge parts were produced.

After the war, demand for the Microfilm Outfit declined and it was discontinued. University Microfilms would sell their enormous files to the University of Michigan which much later sold them to Bell & Howell, as was reported in the last issue of the TPHS Newsletter.

Editor's Note: Why does Tim Holden know so much about this page in Graflex history?

Because the Graflex Photorecord Microfilm Outfit was his baby from start to finish.

And Speaking of Imaging Hardware...

Kodak has won a $21.5 million contract to provide imaging hardware and services to the Japanese government. Kodak Document Imaging will supply the equipment, data conversion service and media to the postal savings bureau of the Japan Ministry of Post and Telecommunication Service. Where was Fuji when the bids went out on this?

The Day Disney Threw Out Kodak Film...

It was recently announced that Dick Nunis, the man in charge of Walt Disney theme parks-

Disney World, Disneyland and others, has retired. Considering the fact that visitors take more pictures at Disney World than at any other location in the whole world and that Disney properties probably contribute substantially to your editor's pension, it is worth reporting a story about Dick and Kodak. First, a brief introduction to Mr. Nunis. He started his career as a kid just out of college when Disneyland was being built in Anaheim, CA. One day he was told that a new manager was arriving and needed a "gofer". Dick would be it. When he met the new man his first impression was that he wore the loudest clothes he had ever seen. Not only were they loud but the colors clashed. But the two got along and the association didn't hurt Dick's future nor that of his boss, Frank Wells, who was to become CEO of Disney. So, Dick's Rule #1- never judge a man by his wardrobe. While attending a Disney Business Seminar, your editor got to have a short chat with Nunis and when he noticed I was from Kodak, he immediately said, "You know there was a time when we didn't get along with Kodak at all." I knew this was true but none of the details which he then described.

When Disneyland opened in California it was immediately a huge success, but not immediately profitable. Disney needed money and with the popularity of the park when suppliers contracts came up for renewal they were drove hard bargains (a habit they never got over). When it became time to renew Kodak's contract as the exclusive supplier of film, Dick said Kodak offered their usual "you can't do without us" price. Disney said it couldn't accept it and Kodak would not budge. So Disney accepted an even better offer from Ansco. Result: for about two years Ansco was the official Disney World film. There was just one hitch. Ansco film did not sell well. Disney's guests, more often than not, asked for Kodak film. Ansco was forced to sell Kodak film from under the counter. So, overall, Kodak film sales were still very good but Kodak was only getting dealer wholesale price on them.

Nunis felt that actually both Kodak and Disney won. Kodak had made it's point and Disney was able to persuade Kodak that investment in Disney's parks would pay off handsomely for both. The next giant step came with construction Florida's Walt Disney World and later its EPCOT expansion. Kodak built glass pyramids housing Journey into Imagination with Dreamfinder and a series of 3-D movies that became the single most attended of EPCOT's offerings (and now being upgraded again). Now there are new Kodak activities in the Animal Kingdom. So we'll you at Disney...but buy your film before you go. Where else do you see film at full list price. Well, at at Universal Studios. But there, unlike Disney, the price is marked.

Attention Hubert Sapp and other Inventors...

When does a Patent start being a Patent? Let's say you have invented a unique new camera. It still has bugs but you have a buyer who has given you a purchase order for the first one available. You know that federal law allows inventors to file a patent application up to one year after an invention has been for sale even if the item is not perfect. You decide to wait to apply for the patent until the bugs are out, which you estimate will take about three months. Are you making a mistake?

Answer: Maybe. The Supreme Court has ruled that the one-year time clock on patenting an invention starts when there is a purchase order, whether it works right or not.

Leica Notes... For really big spenders there is the Leica S1 Alpha Digital Camera Series at $12,499.95 without lens. But you might already have a lens since it will use Nikon, Canon FD or Zeiss/Hasselblad lenses with optional adaptors. If you have to buy a lens, you might want to read the February 1999 Popular Photography tests where Leica's 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-R was rated below the top rated Canon EF USM 50mm f/1.4 and second place Carl Zeiss T* Planar 50mm f/1.4. Its above Minolta's Maxim AF 50mm f/1.4 but that won't fit anyway.

Rochester in Popular Photography...The Irondequiot Mall is the photo subject featured in POP's January 1999 issue. The story is about digital photography and computer generated pseudo-panoramic pictures. Or is that "digido" panoramic pictures?

In the same issue We Read with Suspicion of a "Free Photo Contest! $60,000 in Prizes" sponsored by the International Library of Photography, Suite 350-3022, 10045 Red Run Blvd. Owins Mills, MD 21117. I L of P is an "organization" dedicated to bringing the work of amateur photographers to the public's attention." Page 83 Pop Photo-January 1999

New Stereo Club Meeting... Bill Davis extends an invitation for stereo fans to attend the next meeting of the new group. It's free and open to all. The meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month in the Webster Village Hall, 28 West Main St, just west of Rte. 250. The February 10th meeting will be View-Master night with members and guests invited to bring any interesting View-Master items to show. There will be View-Master projection equipment available. For additional information call Bill Davis (716) 671-7707 or email at bd3d@ix.netcom.com

Read all about the Kodak DP1050, Ultra Digital Projector from the free Pictures in Presentations Tool Kit available upon request to EKCO, Pictures and Presentations Offer DM 1050A1198, PO Box 625 Annapolis MD 21404-9858 or call 1-800- KODAK22

Edmund's Scientific's 1999 catalog is more than just optics. Lots of "Just what I needed yesterday" items. Edmund Scientifics, 101 East Gloucester Pike, Barrington, NJ 08007-1380

You Ought to Invest in Pictures...Sure you should...

Ad in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: "Invest in Sundance Movie "Seeing in the Dark" to be shot in Rochester. Stars Martin Sheen, Academy Award Winner Louise Fletcher ('Nurse Ratchet, Cuckoo's Nest') Minimum $100 investment Buys stock certificate (ownership) in film. Investors can be movie extras! www.indidog.com Whitetail Images, Inc. 716-424-7370

Reminds your editor of another such film that was shot in Amarillo TX many years ago but never completed. A friend called it "The world's most expensive home movie".

Is It Wal-Mart's Falling Prices?...

The number of independent camera stores in 1993 was 4,500. In 1996 only 3,800, 16% less.

Half of the existing stores or owned either by Wolf Camera and Video of Atlanta, GA or Ritz Camera of Beltsville, MD.

Or Maybe It's Rite Aid...

Konica Photo Imaging has filed suit against Rite Aid drugs seeking at least $20 million in damages, alleging breach of contract and unfair business practices in connection with the drug company's decision to stop using Konica as their photo processor. Rite Aid bought Thrifty PayLess drugs in 1996 and instructed them to cancel its wholesale processing contract with Konica Photo. As a result Konica lost 50% of its West Coast wholesale business and about 15% nationwide. Rite-Aid denied it breached any agreement and said it would vigorously defend the lawsuit. Guess who does Rite Aid's photo finishing? It's yellow.

Technology- Try To Keep Score-And Watch Your ATM...

Polaroid and Atmel Corp are in early talks about selling CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductors) chips for use in automatic-teller machines to verify identity by use of the user's face or fingerprints. The system uses a light passing through the lens of a digital camera. This activates thousands of tiny light sensing cells (pixels) on the sensor. The chips are cheap enough that they are being used in Barbie cameras and Nintendo toys. Kodak was working with Motorola in the technology, but now licenses it from Intel although the Motorola connection is still active. Kodak promises low cost CMOS digi-tal camera products using the cheap chips as soon as the quality is available. As we noted last issue, there is a long way to go if the toys are the present state of the art. Kids don't seem to mind the poor quality. And the parents? Well, the various pieces of Nintendo can exceed $150 plus more for materials used at a rapid rate. Quality? A $2 China deported 35 would be ashamed of the results. It must depend on your definition of quality...and truly disposable income.

And, once again, speaking of the New Bell & Howell Cameras...

Here, verbatim, is Sears special offer: A B&H "Golden Eye", Big Finder 35mm, Auto Focus, Red-Eye Reduction, Quartz Date Back, Auto film speed sensing, Auto film advance and rewind, f5.6 lens, Built-in flash with red-eye-reduction, Flash override, Tripod-ready, STILL, Fully Automatic camera. Only $69.99, (plus shipping, handling and any applicable state and local taxes.) One really has to hand it to the copywriter and the guy running the outfit that supplies this and other B&H models as well as a host other obscure (obsolete?) brand names.

As Usual, Our Last Edition's Errors... We hit an all time high in "stupid editor's tricks" in our report on the location of the factory for the first Polaroid cameras. The name of the company that made the cameras was Royal Rochester, not Samson-United. And as Rochester residents pointed out, there is no Winton and Culver road. The factory was on the southwest corner of Atlantic and Culver.

Answers to This Month's Mystery Question(s)-

1. In 1888 the No 1 Kodak sold approximately 5000 units
2. In 1901 the #1 Brownie sold approximately 500,000 units
3. In 1963 the Kodak Instamatic camera line sold 60-70 million units and probably many more made overseas that were not accuounted for

is published by America’s oldest photographic historical group
In January, March, May, September and November
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Permission to reprint is granted to other historical groups if credited to TPHS
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Editor: Joe A. Bailey
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