Cameras and museums have a lot in common.
Both capture moments in time and preserve them for future generations. Both display the past in a way that makes it real and relatable to those who weren’t there.
How fitting that throughout the months of June and July the Northeast Oakland Historical Museum is featuring a display of antique cameras from two private collections.
Waterford resident Jeremy Hampshire, 24, and Tom Matteson, 32, of Oxford, graciously agreed to loan the museum portions of their camera collections for the enjoyment and education of its visitors.
‘They weren’t doing much at my own house,? said Matteson, who’s been collecting cameras and their accessories for about 10 years.
Hampshire, who’s been collecting for three years, loaned the museum 39 of his 135 cameras, while Matteson is displaying 22, about half his collection.
Both displays show the evolution of photography and its technology.
While it’s not an antique, the ‘exact replica? of an 18th century camera obscura built by Hampshire shows one of the ancestral threads leading to the formal invention of photography in 1839.
The way it works is simple. Light enters the box-shaped camera obscura through a lens. It then bounces off a mirror which projects an image onto a ground glass plate.
That image can then be painted or drawn right on the glass itself.
‘That’s kind of where photography started,? said Hampshire, noting his camera obscura is ‘fully functional,? but he’s never created any images with it.
The oldest cameras in both gentleman’s collections date back to the late 19th century.
Hampshire’s oldest is a Rochester Optical Primo B from 1895. The company which made it was bought out by Eastman Kodak in the late 1890s so ‘this is one of the last cameras they produced,? he noted.
A Thornwood Dandy No. 4 is Matteson’s oldest camera. It dates back to 1898 and was originally marketed and sold by Montgomery Ward.
Both collections contain unique pieces that were advanced for their time, but are now considered relics of the Stone Age due to digital technology and the advent of Photoshop.
One of the most interesting pieces in Matteson’s collection is a Polaroid Print Copier Model 240 from the mid-1960s.
This device, which resembles a slide projector, allowed users to duplicate Polaroid instant pictures by basically taking a photo of a photo.
‘Nowadays we would just flop it in a scanner or take a digital photo of it,? Matteson said.
Hampshire’s display includes a Mandel Postcard camera from 1914.
This camera allowed photographers at fairs, carnivals and other events to take pictures of visitors and develop them on the spot as postcards.
Mandel Postcard cameras create photos via a direct positive process, meaning there were no negatives. This also meant each photograph was unique and could not be reproduced.
Other interesting pieces on display courtesy of Hampshire include the Eastman Kodak 50th anniversary camera given away free to 12-year-old children in 1930. A total of 557,000 of these box-shaped cameras were manufactured and distributed.
‘They’re made out of cardboard so it’s very rare to still have one in tact,? Hampshire said.
Matteson’s got the tiniest camera on display ? the Japanese made Crystar ‘HIT-type? camera.
This subminiature spy camera from the 1950s uses 17.5 mm film with 10 exposures per roll. It originally sold for $2 while the film cost $1 for three rolls.
Those wishing to view Hampshire and Matteson’s displays can visit the museum, located at the northwest corner of Washington (M-24) and Burdick streets, anytime between 1 and 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Special tours can be arranged by calling (248) 628-8413.