Old Magazines

[Sean]

Picked this one up the other day for $2 US. 1948 Popular Photography (25cents), Darkroom Edition. I sure love looking at the ads and it's amazing to see how much has not changed (for those sticking with traditional photography). Those were the days huh?

 

[Nige]

hehe! At our camera club they have a rack of magazines for browsing and some of them are quite old. I too like the adverts. I bought some '91-'93 Camera & Darkrooms the other day.

I also was browsing some '98ish mags recently and who was the boss... Ailsa!

 

[TPPhotog]

With you on this one A local store quite often has copies of Picture Post Magazine, from the early 50's up until it added colour. When I have the time I look through their latest batch and buy the ones I like for just under the equivalent of $2 each.

As you say some of those ads look very familiar LOL

 

[John_Brewer]

Hehe, I have a copy of Amateur Photographer from 1905, guess what developer is advertised?

 

[John McCallum]

Gotta be Rodinal (?)

 

[ThomHarrop]

hehe! At our camera club they have a rack of magazines for browsing and some of them are quite old. I too like the adverts. I bought some '91-'93 Camera & Darkrooms the other day.

I also was browsing some '98ish mags recently and who was the boss... Ailsa!

Wish I got royalties!

 

[Jim Chinn]

I have a collection of the US Camera Annuals and quite a few copies of camera mags from the 50s. Very cool to look.

 

[Kevin Caulfield]

I have a copy of "Photography for Novices - The Primus Handbook" from 1902 and it also contains an Agfa (The Actien Gesellschaft fur Anilin Fabrikation) ad whoch describes Rodinal as "the most powerful and simplest developer ever offered. For all sorts of work".

 

[John_Brewer]

Gotta be Rodinal (?)

Yep!

 

[Ole]

I'm different again... I've got "der Satrap" from 1934. Amazingly good quality prints!

 

[Joe Lipka]

My father in law gave me a copy of the Ilford Manual of Photography that was owned by his dad. My guess is that it is from around the turn of the century - that's twentieth century. Some of the formulas were pretty nasty. At least darkroom chemistry has evolved to a lower level of toxicity in the past 100 years.

 

[Timothy]

Holy smoke ! this thread brings back memories.
I grew up in Winnipeg in a house where both my parents had been professional photographers. My siblings and I were all given a Brownie box camera, and some great coaching, as soon as we were big enough to hold one. When I was about 12 yrs old, I was out bike-riding one day when I found this second hand book shop. Inside, I discovered that they were selling entire subscription runs of several photog magazines (a whole year or two in back issues). And the price was only about ten cents ea. I spent all the money I had and got the biggest box I could carry on my bike and when I got home my dad really laughed. Within a week or so, I had found that I was actually learning from the ads. Well, I would find stuff that I did not understand in the ads and my dad would explain it. It was one of the greatest learing tools I ever came across.
My brothers and I went through those mags so many times they eventually all got lost - the mags that is, not my brothers .

 

[Jim Chinn]

I purchased a complete set of "Sights and Scenes of the World" which was a bi-monthly periodical that began to publish in 1894 and lasted about 2 years.
Each issue contains full plate reproductions. Each image has a nice paragraph or two of text with it.

 

[Flotsam]

I just ran across a treasure trove of 'Photo Worlds' from Jan thru June '74. Great magazine. A huge variety of Photographers from Atget to Rentmeester from Ernst Haas to Steichen, masters of Color and B&W, and Oh those great nudes in every issue.

 

[Lasse Mellberg]

I had the fortune to have 2 volumes of the years 1946 and 47 with a fantastic magazine Minicam photography. The Swede which buy this magazines was collecting and did have them bound in to heavy books.
Not for bedtimereading they has a weight of nearly 3 kilos. And I was also given 9 volumes of popular photography 1938 - 1947 but they are realy heavy volumes but not complet. I think it was difficult for a swede to
get this magazinens during the wartime. It is fascinating to read this ads and all good articles about photography. I found much about papernegative work,Willelm Mortenson and a lot of other tips for darkroomwork. It is
much learning in this books- in other way I also learn much on the net.
This site APUG is amazing just about analog photography !!

best wishes
Lasse Mellberg

 

[titrisol]

I have a few Leica magazines from the 40s and 50s.
Pretty cool pictures and lots of advertisement of Leica Stuff

 

[glennfromwy]

All 55 issues of The Complete Photographer, '39 - '41, in their binders. Complete set of the revised and updated hardbound version, re-named The Encyclopedia of Photography, 1949. These two sets have fascinating articles and plates by most of the famous photographers of the day. A complete, minus one issue, press run of Photo Techniques, '39 - '41. This was a short lived publication. Too techie and expensive (50 cents an issue) for it's time. Absorbed by another publication, the name became history. I have lots of other stuff, too. I so much enjoy reading these things. The writing style makes you want to never stop reading. Too bad that style has gone by the wayside.

 

[TPPhotog]

I always wonder how many of todays magazines will be collectable in 50 years or so. I guess the UK Black and White Photography Magazine could be a good one, sorry not seen an issue of the US one.

 

[roteague]

sorry not seen an issue of the US one.

It is more of a magazine for collectors than photographers. However, the latest issue highlights Henri Cartier-Bresson among others. www.bandwmag.com

 

[TPPhotog]

Robert many thanks for the link it was very interesting and quite inspiring

 

[roteague]

Robert many thanks for the link it was very interesting and quite inspiring

PM me your address and I'll send you a copy. You can send me a copy of Outdoor Photography in return.

 

[TPPhotog]

Robert Thank you kindly and will be my pleasure - PM on it's way

 

[garryl]

Just picked up, off E*ay this month, a set of American photography(Feb. 1938-Jan.1939).
Also some Minicams from 1940. The articles are amazingly detailed, even about processes that have disappeared. An a lot of camera information(both famous and infamous) from just the adds. Also got some new information about my "obsession"( }:^)> )- Harry Champlin.
Will keep shopping.

 

[jjstafford]

A local writer and book collector sold me a huge collection of photo magazines going from the thirties to the sixties. It became an albatross - shipping charges were the killer. I ended up giving them away to a local photographer who has a lot of room. Going through them and comparing prices to the times (adjusted using census data concerning income) showed that some of that hardware was as dauntingly expensive then as Alpas are today. And the various photogaphic trends, of course, was deeply interesting.