left, the plaque, faithful face of Oskar Barnack (right)
Oskar Barnack was an engineer of the German company Lei tz Ca mere AG (which later became known worldwide for Leica ) and suffered from asthma, which prompted him to try. reduce the size and weight of cameras to take pictures outdoors in fact, Oskar was also one of the first photographers they made reports charts which could be seen the relationship of people with their environment
Between 1913 and 1914, Oskar managed to adapt for photographic uses the format of 35mm film which is then used in the film, giving life to the first chamber of small format, which began in 1924: the Leica I. He is known as" the house of the twentieth century" and achieved worldwide fame after it became public that photographers as prestigious as Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson used it in their daily work with this camera pictures so famous were taken like this.:
what perhaps is not as it known is that. the Leica camera served as a pretext to save the lives of thousands of Jews during the Nazi the Leitz, a Protestant family, owners of the company, they devised how to send Jews to abroad without attracting too much attention. hired Jewish workers in his factory, the formed and later sent them to America, France, United Kingdom and Hong Kong under the pretext of working there was risky, if While the Nazi government did not interfere, perhaps because some of his KITS aRE depended on them, such as the Leica 250 that the German army used their reconnaissance flights.
1979 , on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of its most important character, created the Prize Leica Oskar Barnack , awarded each year to a photographer highlighted, and . worth 5,000 euros the German company held overhand the centenary, with various designs of commemorative plaques (as we have in our collection) and even making a camera model made of gold 24k. the M4-2 were launched to the market a thousand of these cameras recorded with the copy of the signature of Oskar, and the date 1879-1979 Some of these exclusive pieces have been sold on the Internet. for a whopping $ 19,999
Today we speak of a curious piece of our collection: a bronze medal designed by sculptor emblematic French Émile Monier (id. 9496) . A anecdotally, if you look, it seems that in this small coin 4.5cm in diameter is represented what could be " the first selfie of history" < / font>
This medal, as seen in the back, was coined in 1921 in France, on the occasion of an open competition of the Stereo-Club . And he was commissioned to design Émile Adolphe Monier (1883-1970), an emblematic French sculptor of the Art Deco period . During his career he created very beautiful portraits of the different ethnic groups in the former French colonial empire. And due to his authorship important bronze medals minted representative profiles of men and women as Bornour, Peuhl, Senoufo or Touareg created for the Colonial Exhibition of 1931. Below you can see some of the beautiful creations of Emile Monier.
at the beginning of the twentieth century, with the rise of stereo photography, clubs began to emerge stereoscopic photography enthusiasts . In fact Stereo - French Club, founded in 1903, is perhaps the first to be created and the only ones who can boast to continue its activity since its inception. Still regularly publishes a newsletter and hold monthly meetings with its members
Returning to the medal, you can see that in the face figure of a mother next appears in relief his daughter in a posture that today it reminds us so popular act of taking a selfie. But if you look more closely, we see that the candles are seeing a view of glass or cardboard. On the table also looks like a camera, something recurring in period photographs
you know when he became the first selfie in history though it may seem, was not invented by Paris Hilton or Britney? Spears. Already in 1839, the American Robert Cornelius at his shop in Philadelphia lamps, a portrait pulled himself. I had to sit about 15 minutes standing to take photo also, Frank Sinatra, in 1938, was one of the pioneers in this movement. Under these lines you can see the" first selfie" known in history as Sinatra pulling one selfie
Today I aceramos an extremely rare stereo camera over a hundred years old: 'Le Prismac' (id.9570), manufactured in France in 1906 . This little gem of stereo photography was designed by the French brand Deloye and built by Devaux. Use rolls Kodak film size 102
Worldwide a handful of these cameras are barely know , of which we have recently acquired with serial number 1004, which comes with its original leather case in perfect condition. This unique piece takes exhibitions 4x4, 4x4,5 or 5x5cm. Has a metal body coated with leather, in a single construction with two internal targets of 90 degrees to reflect the image at right angles from the targets to the film, allowing more compact body to that of the time . At the bottom has a switch that activates the shutter. At the front it carries the plate manufacturer Devaux along with the name of the camera
'Le Prismac' is perhaps the only models manufactured Devaux, and the only designed by the French company Deloye. Between 1889 and 1910 Deloye partnered with Frederic Pierre Jonte, manufacturer of stereo cameras since 1868 in France. Among other cameras, the result of their association launched a very successful market such as cameras or Detective Touriste under these lines. It is a pity that just four years after making 'Le Prismac' The company Jonte & amp; Deloye broke, ending 50 years of
This week we speak of one of the leading photographers of the nineteenth century the bohemian Paris: Gaspard-Felix Tournachon, better known as Nadar (1820-1910) , of which we have in our collection with several carte de visite his last period as a portraitist. It was such a renowned photographer who was an honor to pose for him . Among the personalities portrayed by Nadar include painters like Delacroix, Monet or Manet, writers like Dumas and Victor Hugo, poets like Baudelaire, but also went through their political study, actors and other public figures.
Nadar self-portraits, left in photography and the right as a caricature
Felix Nadar was a photographer, illustrator, caricaturist, painter, balloonist and writer who also was the first to take aerial photographs of the history , in 1858, performed with a camera from a hot air balloon. it was also the first photographer to use artificial light. in addition, to him we owe the first snapshots of the catacombs of Paris thanks to the use of artificial light.
Nadar began using photography as a mere tool to portray the characters who later caricatured the success of his cartoons encouraged him to embark on a major project. large lithographs of a thousand famous people of Paris, known as the" Panthéon swimming." his . wit and pungency made him gain the nickname of swimming, derived from" Tourné à dard" (dard means sting) at that time, it was when it opened in 1853 his first photographic studio together . his brother Adrien in fact, did together one of the works that earned Nadar gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1855 by a series of photographs of the mime Deburau.
?
his interest in aeronautics, shared hobby with his friend Jules Verne, led him in 1858 to get the first aerial views of Paris taken from the" Geant" (Giant), a balloon with built propeller specifically for such a feat. As a result of this discovery, the first images were obtained to" bird's eye view" and began to use this technique also for military purposes in 1870, during the Prussian siege of Paris Commune in. war Fanco-Prussian aerial photographs of Nadar managed with great confidence to save Paris from his occupation. anticipating what would be their most likely targets, the amount of weapons available, the possible support that would have enemy forces However, the French army never . he came to recognize their true value, however, the writer Julio View ne itself that was inspired by his friend Nadar in his book" Five Weeks in a Balloon" , in 1863, and to the honored in another of his works," From the Earth to the Moon" by naming his protagonist Miguel Ardan (is easy to see that Ardan is an anagram of Nadar)
Researchers and academics have identified three stages in the work of Nadar: the first when he worked with his brother Adrien in the 1850s, when he took only two or three portraits by day his portraits emphasize above all the expression of the model.. in a second step, the study of the Boulevard des Capucines, acquired in 1861, which printed several dozen photographs per day. it was at this time when he came to collect 100 francs per portrait. And a third stage, when he moved his studio in 1872 the street Anjou, where he devoted himself to portraying only friends and celebrities Moreover, while . Nadar always tried to flee the technique of the photographs" lit" (or colored), it is noteworthy that finally ended yielding to the flatterer and excessive retouching commercial competition and tastes of the SOCIETY ad that moment he demanded. And it is precisely this last time when the carte de visite" enlightened" who work in our collection
Swimming not It was just the first to go up to heaven and down to the sewers to take pictures, but was also the creator of the first photo-interview , together with his son Paul. In 1886, Paul Nadar took 12 shots interview his father to the French chemist Chevreul (1786-1889). It was published in" Le Journal Illustré" as a fotonovela. Felix Nadar died at age 90 and survived all his characters from the" Panthéon Nadar" . At his death he left more than 450,000 glass plates, which are held by the daughter of Paul Nadar.
This we week acercaros the story of a great giant of the photographic industry: the Italian brand Ferrania, that after the Second World War made the competition to multinationals such as Kodak, Fuji and Agfa. We recently acquired collection of Foticos model Veramatic camera, Ferrania 3M (id 9622.) . This camera is the latest that were manufactured in the factory Ferrania in Milan
This design was conceived precious around mid-1960, but presented and n the Milan Fair 1968, and highlighted in the media for its" young, cool and trendy" style. In fact, over the years various versions were launched, always combinations of two colors , either in more serious tones (gray and black, white and gold-such as ours) or Wildest (yellow and purple, pink and green, orange and blue). The camera caused great sympathy at the time for its simplicity and simplicity. Use film 126 has a focal length of 40mm and an adjustable diagragma two possible openings (8 and 11) indicated by the symbols veiled sun or full sun. As a distinctive sign, the lens was framed in a square structure protruding from the body. The Veramatic occurred during just two years, and this one time suffered minor changes, such as changing brand FERRANIA to Ferrania 3m (like our collection), the result of the acquisition of Ferrania by the American company.
Some versions colorful Veramatic throughout its history
Because talking Ferrania equivalent to do his great ability to adapt to economic and social changes. Ferrania's story begins in 1882, under the name of SIPE (Società Italiana Prodotti Esplodenti). Its business was based on the manufacture of explosives , especially for the Russian market. After the Soviet revolution, SIPE was associated with the French Pathé brothers and reconverted its business to focus on making celluloid , main material of photographic film. It was renamed FILM (Fabbrica Italiana Lamine Milano). In the 1920s, given the economic losses, the Pathé brothers left the company, which was under control 100% Italian, and became known as Cappelli-Ferrania. Building on the launch of the first Leica cameras, photographic film production soared and the company enjoyed strong growth. They began to also produce the first chambers. In 1937 it changed its name to simply Ferrania. At that time, his factory, which occupied about 90,000 square meters, it employed 1,300 people
the factory was located in Savona, where the Alps meet the Apennines
After World War II his success grew even more. With 170 different products and 4,000 employees Ferrania was undisputed leader of the photographic industry in Italy , and competed with giants like Kodak, Agfa or Fuji. In fact, the success of the industry cinematrográfica postwar Italian came in handy, because all great directors Italians remained faithful to Ferrania for quality and flexibility . Such was his success that in 1964 the American group 3M stared at Ferrania in order to expand its activity adhesive and magnetic tapes to the sector of the image. With this partnership, the company was renamed Ferrania 3M. . Margin-bottom, 13px: 13px; color on the images below some moments of the acquisition in Los Angeles
the factory passed to occupy 500,000 square meters Progressively, the Ferrania domain 3M was down and ended up absorbing the Italian company . His films became sold under the 3M brand Scotch. With digital photography, the company began to reduce their sales dramatically. But historical company is a true survivor. To not go away, he went on to make films for others like Polaroid, Lomography and Konica, among others
And a chameleon diversified its business: in 2006 Ferrania again restructured once again and became Ferrania Technologies, focused on the manufacture of pharmaceutical products . Solar energy have also been other business in recent years.
Kodak Vest Pocket , which is marketed in several models from 1912 to 1937 approximately . We have in our collection with 4 of these cameras in different colors
This camera is popularly known as " Kodak of the soldier" since it was launched to the market shortly before world War I and some of its features were really appropriate for wartime living world: it was folded, small, light and easy to handle. The camera became known under this name in different countries, hence the advertising held worldwide . In your ads Kodak tried to present the camera as a form of distraction and entertainment in hard times experienced in the race. At the end of the war Kodak had sold over 1 million units
One of the peculiarities of this camera is that since 1915 included the system" Autographic" , which allowed write with a kind d and small punch on the negative by a small window. The short text appeared white to the bottom of the image when the picture is positivaba. It was a way to identify, locate and date the photographs . It was not only taking pictures to those closest, but remember forever places or events experienced, this took on a special meaning in the case of the soldiers.
This week we speak of a very special camera, made in Spain: Iris Rosse Moment (id 9717.) , which went on the market between 1946 and 1948 and was created by the company Majorcan Rosello (1939-1955). It is the first metal camera made by Rossello: is a small box camera 4.5x6 format using film 127
In the early years of the dictatorship and the war of the Second World War national industry very simple cameras are favored, low cost, made with cheap and basic materials such as Iris-Rosse Moment. The builder Rosello was associated with the merchant and distributor Oliver Salleras for . The sale of this camera throughout Spain
The Spaniard Juan Rosello (1911-2002), carpenter and musician profession, was established in 1939 in Palma de Mallorca, from where he began producing cameras like the Jam, Iris and Iris Rosse Moment, models until the end of the Lirba different models, the brand best known for this manufacturer. Tens of thousands of devices out of the shop Rosello, until 1955, the arrival of cheaper foreign and modern products caused him to end his activity.
young De, John learned the carpenter's trade in the woodshop the Maño. Was a child very diligent and soon learned to make miniature chairs and tables. In addition to its corporate business cameras, Juan was a great lover of music and excelled in the construction of instruments, activity that was devoted to Parliament a retired once.
the design of the Iris-Rosse" Moment" could be the prelude to the Lirba, under whose brand thousands of devices were manufactured between 1948 and 1955. the word Lirba was chosen by the builder for being the inverse of April. It is anecdotal that its creator died on April 3, 2002, at the age of 91 years. For history there have been several models beautiful camera of the Spanish photographic history
Today we want to tell you of a very special kind viewer stanhope, we have recently incoporado the Foticos collection. It is known as " magic mirror" (id 9728.) . and ascribes its manufacturing photographer and French inventor René Dragon
C Omo see, this viewer stanhope, dated in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, is shaped like a hand mirror, and inside are arranged 42 thumbnail pictures . On the front of the body, solid brass, a figurative scene depicting an artist and his audience appears. The characters open the curtain to reveal the viewer to the viewer (where the photomicrographs are). Is engraved the word MAGIE (magic). Photomicrographs are mounted on a brass ring turning. They are moving a central actuating rotary knob on the back. thumbnail images showing the viewer relate to views of Italy
the famous stahnhope are optical devices that allow viewing microscopic images (about 3 mm) without the aid of any microscope , only with a small magnifying glass (the stanhope lens), which increases the scene about 100 times its size. Precisely because the invention René Dragon (1819-1900), who obtained the first patent history on the photomicrograph June 21, 1859.
René Dragon, and since its announcement in 1839 was interested in the Daguerrotipos , and he was familiar with collodion process, which later would adapt their techniques of microphotography. A little to get the patent, had many problems with imitators and throwers own versions of the stanhopes. Following the success of these mounted viewfinders on jewelry and souveniers, Dragon set up a factory in France, which in 1962 came to have more than 150 employees and manufactured about 12,000 units a day.
Today we bring you one of the latest additions to the collection of Foticos, a real jewel in the history of photography. We speak of a Camera French study of 1870 40x50cm format (id 9737.), Owned by the famous photographer Adolphe Braun . This camera plates to the collodion 150 years old, was manufactured by Guilles Frères in Paris, and mounts a wide-angle lens of English origin.
A Adolpe Braun (13 June 1812-31 December 1877) began in his youth as a draftsman, and was sent to Paris in 1828 to study design decorative . is one of the most famous and influential of the nineteenth century French photographers , especially known for its floral still lifes, scenes Parisian landscapes and street alpine precisely for this purpose. this chamber study is mounted on a large tripod that reaches up the camera to allow more than two and a half meters tall.
Braun made important contributions to photography, among others, some innovations in photographic reproduction to market their photographs worldwide in fact, his study. Mulhouse helped the pass photograph be a craft activity to a commercial enterprise scale , producing thousands of unique images that were played across Europe and North America. also, their photographic techniques helped to advance the field of history of art thanks to the reproduction of works famous art .
Braun's work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Getty in Los Angeles, the Museum d'Orsay in Paris, MOMA . Manhattan or the National Gallery of Art in Washington, among many others in the following pictures you can see camera from our collection in the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar (France), where he was exposed on 17 February 14 May 2018 next to some of his works
on Friday, we speak of a piece very especially the Foticos collection: 3D book Almaden Mines (id.10485) , published in 1934, in the Republic. As I'm sure many of you know, the Almaden mines are mining oldest mercury, more than 2,000 years of history. From it removed a third of all mercury used humanity specifically, it is estimated that this small town of Ciudad Real have come about seven and a half million mercury flasks (each containing approximately 34,5kg metal).
the Almaden mines brought fame to the Iberian peninsula in the ancient world. In Roman times and they had great importance, although it was after the Islamic invasion of el-Andalus when the mine Almaden became more important. Its name comes from this time: El-madin (mine, in Arabic)
Indeed, the living history of this mine, where they came to work in 1950 about 2,200 workers have occupied thousands of pages of scholars and scholars, besides hundreds of monographs and academic studies. It is therefore curious that in the Second Spanish Republic, the Board of Directors of the Minas de Almaden decided to perform as a gift a book smart 3D with the most significant buildings in this exploitation. This piece has arrived in perfect condition until today, and enjoy the 3D pictures a anagrifo glasses
Because of the new dire European ctrices and changes in markets, demand for mercury fell sharply, and led to the closure of this mining in 2003. However, on 29 June 2012, UNESCO declared World Heritage Almaden Mine together to Idrija (Slovenia). Today in Spain has created Almaden Mining Park, which receives thousands of visitors a year.
Today we want to tell you about a very significant camera: Ihagee Exakta VX (id 10551.) manufactured between 1951 and 1953 in" Germany occupied by the USSR" . Photography is certainly a true reflection of the course of history, but equally, cameras that are also taken. Collection Foticos we have several models of cameras that are themselves, not just bits of history of photography, but also the events of the era in which they were created. Thus, the Exakta VX is engraved at the bottom of the phrase" Made in U.S.S.R. Ocuppied" that is, in occupied Germany by the Soviet Union
During the Cold War, the German chambers, and even of Germany in the East, they were so successful in the US, which was forced to take the mark" Germany occupied by the USSR," as this Exakta VX (the Name, addresses and he received Varex in the US and Europe), descended directly from the Kine Exakta, known as . one of the first 35mm SLR With this, was intended to discourage sales as a buyer" good American" would not buy something that was communist. But the fact is they could not prevent because of its portability and quality, this camera should become a favorite of the photographers in the 50s, among other things by the huge variety of lenses available (from 20mm to 400mm) and the many accessories available to him. Interestingly, it is this model that used James Stewart in" Rear Window" Hitchcock (1954) to spy on your neighbor.
According to scholars of the subject, there were just over 4,000 units from November 1950 to February 1951. it is remarkable that, despite the many changes by Ihagee happened company, owned by Dutchman Johan Steenbergen in Germany during Nazi Germany and World War II and post-Cold War, the Exakta system remained almost until the end d . And his days as a sign of fidelity to their consumers
But in our collection we have more bits of history like. camera miniature Japanese Vestkam (id. 528) of Taiyodo in 1949 This piece has also recorded on your body the phrase " made in Japan occupied" (made in occupied Japan." the model has Foticos, also has the additional statement" for American Homes Industries Inc" , which probably corresponds to the name of the US importer. this small camera uses film reel type Midget and takes exposures 14x14mm and shortly before the famous miniature camera HIT (id. 4604), the Mariquita Pérez. Between 1947-1951, a large part of Japanese cameras were marked with" Made in occupied Japan"
This week we speak of one of the leading photographers of the nineteenth century the bohemian Paris: Gaspard-Felix Tournachon, better known as Nadar (1820-1910) , of which we have in our collection with several carte de visite his last period as a portraitist. It was such a renowned photographer who was an honor to pose for him . Among the personalities portrayed by Nadar include painters like Delacroix, Monet or Manet, writers like Dumas and Victor Hugo, poets like Baudelaire, but also went through their political study, actors and other public figures.
Nadar self-portraits, left in photography and the right as a caricature
Felix Nadar was a photographer, illustrator, caricaturist, painter, balloonist and writer who also was the first to take aerial photographs of the history , in 1858, performed with a camera from a hot air balloon. it was also the first photographer to use artificial light. in addition, to him we owe the first snapshots of the catacombs of Paris thanks to the use of artificial light.
Nadar began using photography as a mere tool to portray the characters who later caricatured the success of his cartoons encouraged him to embark on a major project. large lithographs of a thousand famous people of Paris, known as the" Panthéon swimming." his . wit and pungency made him gain the nickname of swimming, derived from" Tourné à dard" (dard means sting) at that time, it was when it opened in 1853 his first photographic studio together . his brother Adrien in fact, did together one of the works that earned Nadar gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1855 by a series of photographs of the mime Deburau.
?
his interest in aeronautics, shared hobby with his friend Jules Verne, led him in 1858 to get the first aerial views of Paris taken from the" Geant" (Giant), a balloon with built propeller specifically for such a feat. As a result of this discovery, the first images were obtained to" bird's eye view" and began to use this technique also for military purposes in 1870, during the Prussian siege of Paris Commune in. war Fanco-Prussian aerial photographs of Nadar managed with great confidence to save Paris from his occupation. anticipating what would be their most likely targets, the amount of weapons available, the possible support that would have enemy forces However, the French army never . he came to recognize their true value, however, the writer Julio View ne itself that was inspired by his friend Nadar in his book" Five Weeks in a Balloon" , in 1863, and to the honored in another of his works," From the Earth to the Moon" by naming his protagonist Miguel Ardan (is easy to see that Ardan is an anagram of Nadar)
Researchers and academics have identified three stages in the work of Nadar: the first when he worked with his brother Adrien in the 1850s, when he took only two or three portraits by day his portraits emphasize above all the expression of the model.. in a second step, the study of the Boulevard des Capucines, acquired in 1861, which printed several dozen photographs per day. it was at this time when he came to collect 100 francs per portrait. And a third stage, when he moved his studio in 1872 the street Anjou, where he devoted himself to portraying only friends and celebrities Moreover, while . Nadar always tried to flee the technique of the photographs" lit" (or colored), it is noteworthy that finally ended yielding to the flatterer and excessive retouching commercial competition and tastes of the SOCIETY ad that moment he demanded. And it is precisely this last time when the carte de visite" enlightened" who work in our collection
Swimming not It was just the first to go up to heaven and down to the sewers to take pictures, but was also the creator of the first photo-interview , together with his son Paul. In 1886, Paul Nadar took 12 shots interview his father to the French chemist Chevreul (1786-1889). It was published in" Le Journal Illustré" as a fotonovela. Felix Nadar died at age 90 and survived all his characters from the" Panthéon Nadar" . At his death he left more than 450,000 glass plates, which are held by the daughter of Paul Nadar.
