Newsletter for April-May 1999

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

From the Editor’s Desk...

It happened just after the first draft copy of the Newsletter had been printed and proofing completed. As I began the usual host of corrections, the computer screen suddenly displayed an unhappy face. Was it having a bad day? Indeed it was! Later, the computer doctor gave last rites to the hard disc and advised taking out a loan. All the way to the bank I kept chanting, back-up! back-up! The fact that I didn’t do that is why you are now reading your much too late copy made on my “renewed” Mac. New hard disc, increased memory, updated software, but late newsletter.

One of the oddest things we have read this month was about Kodak going to the “final frontier of of retailing” by establishing a Kodak Express shop in Antarctica. The first chain store on the continent, it will target tourists and scientists who run out of film shooting penguins mating, molting and parenting. The shop offers overnight processing. During the sunny season-the past six months- about 10,000 tourists visited the continent. The rest of the year the region is shrouded in darkness. Only about 1,200 people live there. The store is owned by a Chilean entrepreneur and built on a Chilean airfield. Weasels take tourists to observe penguin rookeries and other wildlife. There are also two ATM machines. No nation owns Antarctica so no permission was needed to open the store but an environmental impact survey was required to prove the wildlife would not be bothered. Tourists can take all the pictures they want. But since the animals don’t take pictures it is hard for some to imagine why the shop was built, or why Kodak might think it to be a lucrative business. The answer, “It’s to demonstrate that our commitment to serve customers literally everywhere.”

Things to Do...

[ ] Mark Your Calendar...October 20-22, 2000- PhotoHistory XI
The gala Reception at George Eastman House
The Symposium The Banquet The Trade Show

[ ] Send in your Dues to: Frank Calandra, Treasurer
350 Witting Road, Webster, N.Y., 14580-9009

[ ] Send your program questionnaire to: Tim Fuss at above address

[ ] Attend the next meeting at Brighton Town Hall
2300 Elmwood Avenue 7:30 PM Guests always welcome

Year 2000 Update

As the Century turns you will hear all too much about this sort of thing, but U.S. News and World Reports lists the two most significant products introduced in 1900: The Kodak Brownie box camera and the Paper Clip. They did not say which was the more important.

This Month’s Mystery Question(s)

While every reference we checked differed slightly in the figures, take a stab at these questions and see how close your answers are to those at the end of the newsletter.

1. In 1888, the Kodak camera was introduced. How many were sold?
2. In 1901, the #1 Kodak Brownie was introduced. How many were sold?
3. In 1963, the Kodak Instamatic Camera was introduced. How many were sold?

Continuing the Instant Melodrama...

Ten years ago, Shamrock Holdings, an investor group controlled by Roy Disney, the largest shareholder of the Walt Disney Company, made an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Polaroid Corporation. Mickey is probably glad they didn’t. While annual sales hovered at about $2 billion over the past decade, Polaroid has had five money-losing years out of the last six. The March 1st, 1999 issue of Business Week asked “Something Set To Click at Polaroid?”,
suggesting that the company might be considering a merger or even selling itself outright. The stock’s 52 week high of $47+ in February 1998 was down to $20 in April 1999. At that price what worthwhile assets are left might be ripe for an unfriendly take-over. There are two possible deterrents: (1) a “poison pill” provision in the company charter imposes harsh penalties if the company is forced to sell against its will and (2) the employee stock-share plan which holds 22% of Polaroid shares might resist a sale.

In late April, another key Polaroid executive, Carole Uhrich, quit. Once considered a possible candidate to run Polaroid, she,resigned after 33 years with the company. MS. Uhrich, 55, was Polaroids executive VP and assistant chief operating officer, ranking her as one of the top women in the photography industry.

Two new potential headaches have also surfaced. First is the growing rumor that Fuji Photo Film of Japan will bring its instant products to North America. Second, Polaroid’s Chairman, DiCamillo, while predicting that new products will boost sales by as much as five-fold this year, announced that four businesses will probably be sold: sunglasses, graphic arts, holography and glare reducing polarizers. They will be replaced by such new products as small one-time use instant cameras (see below) that are expected to increase sales $120 to $280 million, up from about $40 million in 1998. One has to wonder how Dr. Land might have reacted to the sale of sunglasses and glare reducing products. They were, after all, part of the foundation of the company.

The question of Fuji importing their instant system into the US and Canada is of special interest to collectors. Fuji instant film is virtually identical to the star-crossed Kodak instant system. While some Fuji instant films appeared here briefly as gray market imports, none were imported officially. Polaroid would certainly oppose new imports, the question is how. We asked a lawyer if Polaroid could stop Fuji by citing the Kodak/Polaroid lawsuit decision. He felt it probably wouldn’t be worth the legal costs to Polaroid. Fuji has obviously considered this and doesn’t think it would happen. In a court battle Fuji could conceivably drag out the proceedings until Polaroid went broke. Or Fuji might file a counter suit grounds of restraint of trade. If Polaroid spent most of their remaining money on lawyers and the stock fell even further, Fuji might buy enough stock at a fire-sale prices to take over the company. There are dozens of other possibilities including the more basic question: is there a real future for the company and its instant products at all?

While there are no easily accessible statistics about the popularity of Fuji instant products in Japan, they have survived all these years and potentially have been improved. Polaroid contends that they have had great success recently in Japan. Especially popular are cameras that produce near 35mm size pictures that are favorite “exchange” items with children and ‘teens. The Polaroid small pix camera is said to be a simplification of a camera that was an instant failure on the US market. Does it have potential here today?. While fuzzy stamp-size pictures are apparently acceptable to the lollipop set is demonstrated by sales of Barbie digital instant camera, the tiny pix market is, no pun intended, still small in the US. So small that Kodak recently announced it was ceasing production of the Japanese designed min-pix automatic kiosks which used digital technology.

As noted earlier, the most interesting aspect of all these “ifs” to Fuji’s potential instant arrival to camera collectors/users is that by most accounts Fuji instant film packs do work in Kodak Instant cameras. If so, will this increase the value of old Kodak instant models? The chances appear to be slim. Purchase three packs of film and Polaroid will give you a new camera free. Would Fuji be far behind?

So What About Those Polaroid POP SHOTS and I-Zone Pocket Cameras?
Are They The Life Savers Polaroid Needs?

After two years of reports that they would be available “shortly”, Polaroid PopShots “Instant one-time use” cameras are here. The PopShots which make 4.4”x 2.5” color pix has arrived at your local drug store. PopShots prices range from full list-$19.95 to $16.99 on sale (minus an additional $2 with coupon). What you get is a starship-like design, complete with flash and 10 exposures. A pull strap removes the print from the camera and when the camera is empty a prepaid postage sleeve allows you to return the camera body to Polaroid. The I-Zone instant, a $25 list, pocket size model that makes inch square pictures and has been popular in Japan, will be here this fall. I-Zone will also appear as Barbie and Looney Tunes cameras. For now, are those PopShots flying off the shelves? Not according to clerks at CVS and Eckard Drugs. Six days after week-end ads appeared, none had been sold. Perhaps a tie-in with Kellogg Pop-Tarts, made by a company also in need of increased sales, would help. In the meantime, Polaroid offers regular instant film with snazzy pre-exposed borders of pink flowers and other themes designed to provide instant photo gratification.
Footnote: Polaroid has officially abandoned Russia. It’s 1995 sales there: $200 million.

The Antique Road Show is the most popular program on PBS. More people are buying antiques-and photographica-at shows. Tips on Doing it Right...

Whether you are at Kutztown, PA, Atlantic City, NJ, or a local “antique” or camera show, the following ten tips from “experts” (who apparently learned from experience) can help you buy with an above average level of confidence that you are getting your money’s worth.

(1) Talk the Talk. Dealers know a neophyte when they hear one. Some good phrases are: “Is this on reserve?”. “What’s your dealer’s price?” and “Is this as good as it looks?” Carrying a price book around with you doesn’t hurt either. Real dealers also usually ask the price first and then ask to see the item.
(2) Know about how much money a dealer has to make at a show to make a profit.
Ask about booth costs. The answer helps you know how important a sale is to the seller.
(3) Know the hot trends and don’t buy for investment. Trendy items usually mean higher prices. Unless you are a pro, the cost of making a quick profit on an item, especially a trendy one, may be more than it is worth. If you buy, then sell at auction, fees, shipping, insurance, and other expenses can eat up profit.
(4) Look for red dots. Many of the better shows’ dealers put red dots on on items that have been sold but not taken home. Savvy collectors consider the number of red dots a measure of how well the show is doing- and what’s selling. The more red dots, the more popular the dealer. He’s probably competitive and pricing things right.
(5) Broken doesn’t mean bad. Just don’t buy anything costly to fix. But sometimes it doesn’t matter if an item is usable or not. Age or ownership alone may be paramount.
(6) Watch out for fakery. Perfect condition may not be what it appears. Look for normal wear spots. Remember: Phillips and Torx screws are recent fasteners. Ask a lot of questions. If a seller is trying to overcharge you they will get very vague and indirect, very quickly. The more informative the seller wants to be, the more likely the item is legitimate.
(7) Haggle, but haggle graciously. Once you decide to buy, ask “Can you do better on the price?” Print and book dealers usually give 10% off. Most antique dealers negotiate.
(8) Pay cash and bring only as much as you are willing to spend. Cash garners better terms from dealers and you are less likely to overspend.
(9) Go early or arrive late. The most interesting , desirable, and reasonably priced things sell in the first few hours. Often volunteering to help a dealer set-up a show can get you in early. It can also help you learn how the professionals operate.
(10) Be sure you can get it home. That bargain 8”x10” enlarger may not fit in your trunk.

-Based on an article in the Wall Street Journal, April 6, 1999


Attention Film and Film Box Collectors: Gather Ye Brands While You Can...

For the majority of amateur and professional picture takers, only two film brands really count. We know them well. Next in popularity are films from German AGFA and Japanese KONICA. Other films are produced by small English, European and Asian factories, but their names are largely unknown in this country. AGFA and KONICA have comparatively small US sales of amateur films under their own names. Making most of their profits supplying the printing and publishing and entertainment (movie and TV products), they rely heavily on the “private brand” film market. This is primarily 35mm film packaged for drug and chain stores such as K-Mart, Polaroid and single use camera repackagers. For some reason, higher speed private brand films are more likely AGFA, while lower speeds come from KONICA. The list price may be close to the majors but the actual selling price (“on sale”) of most private brands is often a fraction of that. For example, Polaroid 200 speed film frequently sells at Wal-Mart for less than a dollar a roll. From that dollar, Polaroid, the manufacturer, and Wal-Mart supposedly makes a profit. Even if the profits were substantial, it would require a huge amount of film sales to cover the manufacturing cost, plus some research and development to produce products somewhere near those of the majors. The fact is, of course, are that they don’t keep up. And for many amateurs it doesn’t seem to matter.To quote the late Reo Bennett, Kodak’s Consumer Markets realist, for many amateurs if they can see a picture at all they are happy and if it is in color they are ecstatic. Why else would so many people buy cheap film.

In between the good, the bad, etc., there is another comparatively unknown film manufacturer that has sold more private brand film in the US than any other. That is the former Ferrania company in Italy. Better known is its owner, the US 3M company, the Scotch tape people. A few years ago the Ferrania operation was included in a spin-off of 3M, named Imation. Imation was unfortunately comprised of several low-performing 3M divisions. As of this date their overall performance has not improved. Result: Ferrania is now reported to be on the block. If not sold it will probably be shut down.

Ferrania produces or perhaps by now, did produce, 35mm master rolls of film that were shipped to 3M’s packaging plant in Oklahoma. At various times the film has been branded 3M or identified in some other way as a 3M product, but usually it was branded with a private label. It’s largest customer- K-Mart. It was once reported that the company would private brand the box (continuing an unbranded film cassette) for a little as 50 rolls of film. The division was long been assumed in the industry to be relatively unprofitable, especially when compared to 3M’s other high-flying, high profit, products.

Recently. industry pundits rumored that Kodak had considered buying the Italian operations to produce strictly private brands for sale outside the US. This seems unlikely considering Kodak’s other European and English capacity. Aside from a dozen potential problems in marketing, could even Kodak make a profit from Ferrania if 3M couldn’t? 3M made its reputation as the paragon of high profit, innovative products. But their amateur film, neither innovative nor particularly competitive, apparently wasn’t one of them. Stay tuned, we may not have heard the end of this.

Who Was Leo Baekeland and What Did He Have To Do With Photography?

Born in 1862 in Ghent, Belgium, immigrated to the USA in 1889, Leo Baekeland was the inventor/chemist who, in 1899, sold the rights to his Velox print papers to George Eastman. He also developed the first all-artificial plastic in 1907, which he called Bakelite. The stability of Bakelite would later become a major material for inexpensive plastic cameras. But it was Velox paper that helped make photography popular by freeing photographers from having to use sunlight for printing images. Velox prints were originally exposed by gaslight and later by electric bulbs. What did Mr. Eastman pay for the rights to Velox? The
then astonishing sum of $1,000,000. Overall, it was a very good buy.

Meet Ira Current, An Informal Profile

Each issue we hope to profile a collector, designer, writer, or other person who has made our hobby interesting. We invite you to send in your biography

Ira Current is one of the most organized men you will ever meet. It is humbling to visit his home in Brighton, NY and see the meticulous files of Ira’s negatives and prints. It doesn’t stop there. Neatness and precision have been, and are, a part of everything Ira has done, and is still doing. Whether photography, writing for historical societies’ journals, or inventing new and better ways to make precision items in his shop, Ira keep busy.

Born in Colorado City, CO in 1910, Ira became interested in photography in 1926. While in high school and his early college years, he worked in Colorado Springs for Stewart Brothers, a photo finishing, commercial photography and photoengraving shop. By 1934 he had a BA degree in chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He gained experience as a photographer for the art department and a few weeks after graduation,
The Columbia Broadcasting System-CBS radio-gave him an assignment to photograph how people used their radios while on vacation.

In 1934, Ira went to work for Agfa-Ansco in Binghamton, NY. Except for three years at the US Navy Photographic Sciences Lab at Anacosta DC, during WWII. He would be with ANSCO, which would become General Aniline and Film (GAF). Until retirement in 1972, he managed the department that evaluated and set standards for all sensitized materials and equipment.

Ira served on the photographic committees of the American Standards Institute, and has been on the editorial staff of the Journal of the Photographic Society of America for 42 years. His books include Photographic Color Printing, Photographic Materials and Processes and Basic Photographic Materials and Processes.

In 1961, Ira revived the wet collodion process and “played” Matthew Brady during the Civil War Centennial. He appeared on the TODAY Show, where he prepared and exposed a wet-plate photograph of John Chancellor and Louise King. He processed the plate in the dressing room and displayed it 20 minutes later on the same show. He has also produced a number of exhibits dealing with photography for the Smithsonian Institution. One showing the developing process on a strip of positive film took place at the command of the viewer.

Ira left GAF in 1972 to join the faculty of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s photography school. His Color Printing Theory course included all processes including dye transfer.

With his photographic work spanning more than 70 years, Ira’s neat files contain over 60,000 negatives, over 200,000 feet of 16mm movies. His work has been exhibited in more than a dozen one-man shows and other exhibitions throughout the country.

Asked to comment on collecting, Ira says that his equipment collection is limited because older items were traded-in on updated models. But he has retain some of the more unusual items he acquired. One is a Memo Printer, designed for processing lab use with ANSCO Memo camera negatives. His favorite items are a 35mm movie camera and a Univex Model B. The item he would most like to obtain is an AMPRO 16mm sound projector that used a rotating cube, rather than a shutter and film intermittent. His favorite photographic themes are landscapes and windows. His favorite story: As a youngster in Colorado he was working for Stewart Brothers photo finishing lab during the 1930 Christmas card season. He accidentally caused the heater that served all the darkrooms to explode. This ruptured all the stove pipes that ran through the darkrooms, spewing soot over everything and everybody, including the Stewart Brothers themselves. That year was not a white Christmas.

What does Ira plan to do with his collections? Most are promised to the Western Archives of the University of Colorado.

The Demise of Independent Camera Dealers. Is it Wal-Mart’s Falling Prices?

In 1993 there were 4,500 independent camera stores. In 1996, 3,800, 16% less. Half of the existing stores were owned either by Wolf Camera and Video of Atlanta, GA or Ritz Camera of Beltsville, MD. Discount store prices continue be credited for the decline of independents.

How is APS Doing?

At last fall’s Photokina over 100 new APS (also called the 24mm format in other parts of the world) cameras were introduced. The general opinion was that the format has an increasing awareness among camera buyers. In Japan 60% of camera buyers are aware of APS. In the USA, it’s 50% and 30% in Europe. The real winner is for photofinishers whose APS reprint and enlargement orders already exceed those of 35mm.

Happy 58th Birthday KODAK EKTRA- As seen by Chris Kok, Leica Enthusiast.

In the First Quarter 1999 issue of the always interesting VIEWFINDER, Quarterly Journal of the Leica Historical Society of America, Chris Kok presents as balanced evaluation of the Kodak EKTRA as a Leica fan could write. Complete with excellent illustrations, his comments include points that most of us also either love or hate about the star-crossed camera. He also compares many of its advanced features with similar ones on later Leica models--including those that worked and those that didn’t-- on both brands. Incidentally, for those interested in Leica, the new mailing address for the LHSA is 7921 Case Drive, Plano TX , 75025-6002, Voice Tel. 972-208-8742 , Fax 972-208-8741

And Speaking of Leica, Wanta Buy a Real (working?) Russian FED for $145?

A really strange 56 page catalog arrived recently. Everything in it is made in Russia. This Includes are old Tsarist banknotes “...backed by gold!”, samovars and wind-up “Russian Victrolas” that only play 78 rpm records ($245). The FED cameras more interesting. Available “as Is” for $145, or “Professionally Overhauled” for $295. There is also a “Dr. Zhivago” “old fashioned, 8mm movie camera”, which looks something like a late model Keystone. It comes with one Super-8 film cartridge. Extra film: $17 each. Then there’s the “affordable” Horizon panoramic 35mm camera, budget priced at $695, “compare with $1200!”. The catalog notes that FED stands for Felix E. Dherzhinskiye, Founder of Cheka, which ultimately became the infamous KGB. According to the catalog, the cameras were produced at a top-secret factory using tooling and plans spirited out of Berlin by secret agents.” We wonder if Wetzlar was aware of Leica tooling being in Berlin. For a copy of this catalog call Sovietski Collection, 800-442-0002. PO Box 81347, San Diego CA 92138-1347

Great News on Camera Collecting!...From The Wall Street Journal?

February 3, 1999’s Wall Street Journal carried an article headlined Developing Interest in Old Cameras. It was written in what a journalism professor friend used to call “gee-whiz” style (as in, “Gee-Whiz! isn’t this great!) by Staff Reporter Ellen Kinsella. It was no surprise to see quotes from our friends Jack Naylor and Jim McKeown. Also liberally quoted was Martin May, a dentist from Haddon Heights, NJ, who is not familiar to us. In answer to why people buy old cameras, May is quoted as saying that he admires “anything pre-1860”. “I love the brass, glass and chrome.” That has a familiar ring to it, although chrome was probably somewhat scarce in the early 1800’s. In answer to where you find old cameras, May says check the attic. There may be old Leicas (and FEDs?) brought back from Europe after WWII. Jack Naylor hopes that you will find a Leica “Luxus”, which is illustrated in the article. You will also be glad to know that reporter Kinsell’s research has found that starting a collection need not be expensive. Kodak Brownies and Instamatics can be found for $25. Ms Kinsella, later followed up with an article on the increasing interest in photographs as collectible works of art. (The camera article reappeared in a WSJ supplement on 3-26-99 in a slightly revised and less gee-whiz version including more realistic prices.)

This and That...

Seattle Film Works, the mail-order film processor has agreed to provide Excite users with free photo scanning and Web posting when they purchase film processing .

Step Back In Time with a George Eastman House Historic Process Workshop

Several Historic Process workshops began April 10th at GEH and will run through June 27.
These include the Albumen Workshop in which you will make your own Albumen paper and prints from 19th century negatives. Other workshops include daguerreotypes and ambrotypes. All workshops run a full day from 9 AM to 5 PM. For details call Heidi Halton, Historic Workshop Coordinator at (716) 271-3361, extension 325.

Good Movie Houses to be Rated. Presentation May Be Better Than Films

Eastman Kodak plans to become the Good Housekeeping of movie theaters. Walt Disney Co’s El Capitan Theater in Hollywood became the first cinema house Okayed by Kodak’s ScreenCheck Experience certification program. The program sets standards for screen brightness, projection equipment, number of seats and more, to help movies look and sound better. Like getting a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, the first chain to offer the ScreenCheck experience is General Cinema.

Consider the Source, Even in Photographic History

History! Most allege it is
Enlightening and rewarding;
But don’t discount the prejudice
Of the one who was recording WSJ

PHSNE Goes to China-And So Can You

While you may have some hesitation about visiting China today, by June 2 things will hopefully have settled down. That’s when an opportunity awaits with the Photographic Historical Society of New England. For only $2200 per person you can go on a 15 day, all expense, trip that begins with Shanghai and continues to almost every famous China location you have heard about. If interested, get more details by sending you name and address to Jeff Seideman, PHSNE, P.O. Box 6501890, West Newton, MA 02465-0189.

Rollei History Reveals Little Known Prototypes

Rollei TLR: The History, by Ian Parker is a newly published volume on the famous Rollei TLR. It also include in-depth information on prototype cameras that has been largely unknown. In particular, there is detailed information on the development of a scaled-up 9x9CM version of the famous 6x6 CM and 4x4 CM models. The 9x9 CM cameras were designed as studio cameras and built at the suggestion of Solomon Kahn, a Berlin portrait photographer. Available at A Photographers Place, 133 Mercer St. NY 10012 (212) 431-9358

Check your Attic, you never know

If great grandpa’s trunk happens to have the ten volume set of Photographic History of the Civil War, it’s time you dug it out. The 1911 publication sold briskly when published but was weighty and gathered a lot of dust. It also burned well in the stove when great grandma got tired of dusting the things. But should you find a set, latch on to them. The current asking price is $1300, plus postage.


Need Trade-show Displays, Cases, and other Necessities? A flyer with almost everything for displays is free from Collector’s House 1739 Hwy, 9 N. Howell, NJ 07731
800-448-9298

Bausch & Lomb long ago stopped making makes photographic lenses, now it no longer makes sunglasses. The famous Ray-Ban brand was sold to Italian Luxottica of Italy for $640 million. Luxottica is the owner of the LensCrafters optical chain.

Kodak Max film has made the best-seller list. Its 400 and 800 speed film did about $100.8 million in sales last year, ranking it in ninth place on a list of the ten top selling products compiled by Information Resources Inc. The top seller was Frito-Lay’s WOW Chips at $347 million in sales. Introduced a year ago, MAX represents about 30% of Kodak film sales.

Another Reminder: Beware of Fake “Antique” Images from tintypes to more rare processes. Various publications have run articles warning collectors. The items tend to show up at flea markets but have been seen in well known sales.

Any old SX-70’s lying around? Nick Graver’s son is looking donations of these cameras for use in a school. Call Nick for details 244-4818

The Answer to a Question that Probably Never Bothered You...

Where did the word “Camera” come from? It was derived from the Latin word meaning chamber. Something like “little darkrooms in which light enters through a lens and is projected onto a light-sensitive substance”. Cameras have also been called “mirrors of memory”. -Popular Science Magazine , June 1999


Answers to This Month’s Mystery Question(s)

1. In 1888, the Kodak camera was introduced. A little over 5000 were sold.
2. In 1901, the No.1 Kodak Brownie was introduced. About 500,000 were sold.
3. In 1963, the Kodak Instamatic Camera was introduced. An estimated 70 million sold.
Thousands more were sold by unlicensed manufacturers.

is published by America’s oldest photographic historical group
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