Happy Camera Day!

by Shelby Smith and Marcus Jeffrey

June 29th is Camera Day!  As we remain closed to the public, to celebrate we thought we would give you a virtual peak into our photography case at the Lake of the Woods Museum.

Click the right and left arrows below to navigate through the images.

From the exhibit guide book:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this case must be priceless. Featured in this case are cameras from the 1890s to the 1960s.

In the centre is an Improved Empire State camera made by the Rochester Optical Company. It is a commercial camera and would have been used for studio portraits. Examples of the 8” x 10” negatives this type of camera produced are leaning behind the wooden tripod.

On the left side of the case are some examples of hand-tinted photographs as well as Eastman Kodak Water Color Stamps meant for tinting photographs. Before colour film, artists added colour to black and white images by hand. Behind the watercolours is a Premo D camera from the Rochester Optical Company, as well as examples of photographic glass plates. In front of the watercolours is a stereoscope, which allowed the viewer to see images in 3D.

On the right side is a collection of Eastman Kodak Brownie cameras. The Brownie was introduced in 1900. It was simple to use and inexpensive, costing only $1. The Brownie camera made photography accessible to all, and remains popular with photography buffs to this day.

The Lake of the Woods Museum is always looking to add more local historical photographs and artifacts to our collection.  If you have something you think might be of interest, please contact us.