Gordon Camera – Revealed
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PHOTOGRAPHIC CANADIANA Volume 35 Number 2 Sept.– Oct.– Nov. 2009 PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT LANSDALE PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT THE MYSTERY GORDON CAMERA – REVEALED THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA PHOTOGRAPHIC CANADIANA JOURNAL OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Volume 35, Number 2 ISSN 0704-0024 Sept. – Oct. – Nov. 2009 Date of Issue – September 2009 Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 40050299 Postage Paid at Toronto Photographic Canadiana is published four times a year (except July and August) by The Photographic Historical Society of Canada, 6021 Yonge Street, Box 239, Toronto, Ontario, M2M IN THIS ISSUE 3W2 Photographic Canadiana does not pay 2 PC Index 17 Yes Virginia there is a for articles or photographs; all functions Our Cover Gordon Camera of the PHSC are based on voluntary 3 President’s Message –Robert Lansdale and participation. Manuscripts or articles The Society, Executive and Clint Hryhorijiw should be sent to the Editor and will be PC Editorial Board returned if requested. 4 Toronto Notes: April, May and PC Supplement Sheet Views expressed in this publication June 2009 meetings 1 Schedule for September solely reflect the opinions of the au- –Robert Carter thors, and do not necessarily reflect the 2009 views of the PHSC. 6 Browsing through our Exchanges 2 Coming Events & Want Ads –George Dunbar For Back Issues 8 The Melodrama Continues For back issues and single copies: or- as the Vitascope Travels to der directly from the Librarian, whose Toronto and Halifax name and address appear on page 3. –Robert Gutteridge Current copies are $5.00 each. A sub- scription is included in membership fee which is $35.00 a year. Toronto area fee includes meetings. Back issues of Vols. I & II are available at $2.00 per copy, Vols. III to VIII (inclusive) at $3.00 per OUR COVER copy. The Vol. 25 #2 Special Anniver- sary issue costs $12.00. Other back is- Starting on page 17 we unveil the sues are $4.00 per copy. story surrounding the search for the Writing for the PC Journal mystery GORDON camera. It has To publicize events, notices, adver- been quite a thrilling quest with a tising, writing articles or if requesting number of participants across the information already published in Pho- country adding their knowledge or tographic Canadiana, please write directly to the Editor at 18 Ashfield digging into library and archive Drive, Etobicoke, Ont., M9C 4T6 or e- sources for pertinent data. mail: [email protected] The initial big finds came to light right here in Toronto; then as we ACCESS THE PHSC spread the word, more material, via e-mail slumbering in its silence, has come [email protected] to the fore. CHECK FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC Both camera and its inventor are NEWS & PROGRAM UPDATES LANSDALE PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT worthy of taking their place in pho- http://www.phsc.ca tographic history. We now have Robert A. Carter – Webmaster enough material left over to aug- ment the story with Part Two in our December 2009 issue. ❧ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39, 48-1984. Printed in Canada by The Aries Group. 2 PHOTOGRAPHIC CANADIANA 35-2 SEPT.- OCT.- NOV. 2009 THE PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORICAL SOCIETY President’s Message OF CANADA 6021 Yonge Street, Box 239, Toronto, Ontario, M2M 3W2 Telephone (416) 691-1555 Clint Hryhorijiw http://www.phsc.ca e-mail: [email protected] PORTRAIT PORTRAIT BY ROBERT LANSDALE The PHSC was founded in Toronto in 1974 for people interested in photo- graphic history. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in Canada four years later. All activities are undertaken by unpaid volunteers. We help camera and image collectors and those interested in the diverse aspects of The sleeping lion comes to life again! photographic history, sharing in their enthu- siasm and knowledge. At the PHSC, many of the executive have been busy with their tasks, as in this case the issue of Photographic Canadiana which has taken much time to prepare on We promote public interest in photograph- desktop publishing and, of course, months of research by the authors of the articles. ic history through talks, awards, publica- tions, fairs and auctions. On September 16th, we begin another series of educational programmes that will The majority of our 260 members are take us through to June 2010. How time flies! camera or image collectors, photographic researchers & writers, and professional We are fortunate to have new blood on the executive – John Kantymir and Doug photographers in Canada. Included are Napier are recent additions as vice-presidents. Their untrammeled enthusiasm will many libraries, archives, museums and bring new life to special projects and resurrected events. Stay tuned for special events other photographic societies. that are being readied in the wings to supplement projects for this, the 35th anniver- sary of the PHSC. Board of Directors 2009–2011 We still need support assistance for two of our project managers. Bob Carter who President Clint Hryhorijiw has been servicing our all-important web site as Web Master AND, in addition, taking Past President Ed Warner on the Treasurer’s job, has relinquished that position to (new addition) Judy Rauliuk. 1st Vice President John Kantymir 2nd Vice President Douglas Napier Our Web Master attends meetings to take notes and photograph, then prepare Secretary John Morden reports of the speaker presentations for the PC journal and for the web site. He has Treasurer Judy Rauliuk no back-up assistant which makes our internet communications to the world most Membership Sect’y Wayne Gilbert vulnerable. We are not asking for someone to take over the project but to support Bob Programme Felix Russo by possibly updating sections that are in the deep depths of the web pages. By osmo- Curator Mark Singer sis, you are sure to learn much from Bob. Our editor Bob Lansdale is also a solo artist who takes photographs of our meet- Librarian Gerald Loban 64 Fonthill Blvd., Unionville, ON., L3R 1V7 ings and events, researches, writes, prepares layouts via desktop publishing and car- C. Stereo Coll’n Coordinator Stan White ries the journal through its many steps to the printer. Luckily he has several “colum- Chairman Spring/Fall Fair Mark Singer nists” who submit prepared articles. Should (heaven forbid) Bob be incapacitated, we Ass’t Fair Chairman Clint Hryhorijiw would be in dire straits to resurrect the many facets of publishing the journal and the Financial Controller John Linsky E-mail newsletter. An assistant could lift away some small portion of the work and Publ’n & Research Awards Mike Robinson learn from Bob’s experience. Webmaster Robert A. Carter Please step forward and help us help you – it’s a chance to learn and grow. PC Editor Robert E. Lansdale 18 Ashfield Dr., Etobicoke, Ont., M9C 4T6 e-mail: [email protected] Contributing Editors John Kantymir – Everett Roseborough George Dunbar – Robert G. Wilson CLINT HRYHORIJIW, PRESIDENT telephone 416-622-9494 M. Lindsay Lambert – Stan J. White e-mail [email protected] Robert Carter, Robert Gutteridge PC Distribution Robert G. Wilson PHOTOGRAPHIC CANADIANA 35-2 SEPT.- OCT.- NOV. 2009 3 The April, May and June Meetings MAY MEETING Toronto Notes May speaker, Tony Makepeace is a Toronto based photographer, writer, and teacher with numerous solo and group reported by Robert Carter exhibitions. His work is displayed in a number of private and corporate collec- April speaker, Michael Torosian – a of type). The slugs are then assembled in tions. Tony has contributed portfolios very accomplished Toronto photogra- line sequence to create a galley for the and essays to magazines like View pher, added new perspective to the whole page. Camera, PhotoLife, PhotoEd, and impact of digital technology on tradi- LensWork. He holds a B.A.A. degree in tional processes. In the 1970s, recogniz- Torosian’s first few titles were printed Photographic Arts from Ryerson ing the problems of getting his work on a hand-cranked press that eventually University and has recently completed a published, Torosian took the opportunity sent him to hospital with shoulder inju- Master’s degree in Education at Central of buying obsolete (and affordable) ries. Through a cousin, he learned of two Michigan University. equipment to establish a new business as old Vandercook Universal 3 presses which were destined for the scrap yard. He took Tony saw promise in Quick Time publisher producing hand-made limited- Virtual Reality in the 1990s when it was edition art books on photography. both of them and managed, from the best parts, to make one working press. a complex command line program Like the printing, his early books were all hand stitched. He eventually found an old Brehmer Stitching machine, but had no idea how to oper- ate it. He puzzled over this strange machine for over a year - even calling the factory in Germany, but the data had been lost in the war. Perseverance paid off and he now has the stitching machine working. PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT LANSDALE PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT To say the least, each book is a labour of love with the topics chosen by TONY MAKEPEACE Torosian. A book can PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT LANSDALE PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT take up to a full year to create. The print runs are short - a few offered by Apple. A friendlier version hundred copies - and mostly pre-sold came out a few years later but Apple lost MICHAEL TOROSIAN with remaining copies snapped up within interest and when they moved to their weeks of publication. He uses only the modern OS X operating system in 2000, His years of experience in the dark- very best materials, choosing the fonts, QTVR was left behind.