Antique and Vintage Cameras
Cool Cameras: The Univex Mercury
By John Kratz — The Universal Camera Corporation found great success in the early/mid-1930s by selling very inexpensive cameras and film. Universal rectified the matter in October of 1938 with the release of the Univex Mercury (Model CC). Cast from an aluminum alloy and covered with leather, the Mercury was not only unlike anything Universal had offered before, it was actually a revolutionary achievement in the industry. I won't go into all the features, but two are worth noting: First was the unique...
From Ambrotypes to Stereoviews, 150 Years of Photographs
By Maribeth Keane — We both come from families that had collections and we both had collections as children. Jack lost his when his grandmother threw them out at one point. His grandmother collected china and glass. My parents had collections. When we married, we had both studied photography. In Chicago, we hardly ever saw any photographs. We went to antique shops and we prowled around in flea markets and the malls, but we mostly bought Victorian furniture and decorative things – stained glass windows and...
Rob Niederman Focuses on Antique Wood Cameras
By Maribeth Keane — How did I start collecting cameras? Actually, I had an interest in photography as a kid and owned a darkroom by the age of 12 or 13. My interest in photography grew. I spent lots of time in a Chicago gallery learning about black and white photographs by the old masters and was very fortunate to study with Ansel Adams in one of his workshops in the mid 1970s. My first exposure into antique cameras occurred in the late 1970s. I was given a beautiful, large wooden Century No.7 studio camera as...