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Post by michelb on Sept 22, 2021 7:47:34 GMT
Hi Pontiac, You just posted a note that you owned a camera since 62 years in another discussion. Well, my first camera was a gift for Christmas 1958, a twin-lens Rolley like 6 x 6 cm reflex camera. It is sitting in my old cameras collection, next to the "Pontiac" from my father-in-law.
It's one of the other 6x9 foldings of the collection: Lumière, Zeiss, Kodak and more from that period.
What is special with this camera is the family story reported by my wife. We recently discovered the invoice for the purchase of that camera in september 1948. My dear father-in-law was a modest carpenter in a difficult period after the war and my wife remembers haw he was scolded by his wife for such an astronomic price! Nevertheless, this camera was the source of most of the family photos of my wife's family of that time. That was exactly 73 years ago (my wife was just 4 years old).
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Post by pontiac1940 on Sept 22, 2021 14:31:06 GMT
Michel
Thank you for the most interesting story. I can imagine the concern over buying such a fancy camera in 1948. Yet, it served your wife's family well.
Did that camera travel far? ... to other countries? I wonder what is has seen.
Merci!
Clive
PS: Your wife is the same age as my wife.
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Post by michelb on Sept 22, 2021 19:25:49 GMT
That was a period in which people rarely travelled abroad. But you are right, the pontiac did travel much in France because my wife's family was a large family, most having also many children. The origin is a carpenter from the Bordeaux who settled in the province of Anjou, in the Loire Valley, a rather central spot in France. - My father-in-law married a girl from the east of France during the war (Near Nancy) - one of his sisters married a man from the South of Fance (near Pau, Pyrénées mountains) - One of his brothers married a girl from the North (near Lille) - Other sisters and brothers were nearer, more on the West...
- Other relatives were from Paris
As a result, my wife's family being in the most central spot and the origin of the family, you can imagine how many cousins were converging to Anjou each summer; the spot from which I am writing now (when we are not in Paris).
As a matter of fact, another 6x9 folding in our camera collection could tell stories from travel in other countries. It belonged to an aunt of my wife, who travelled much together with another uncle, in neighbouring countries but also in Eastern communist coutries...
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Chris
Established Forum Member
Posts: 435
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by Chris on Sept 23, 2021 7:37:06 GMT
Micheleb, thank you for sharing the pictures and the story. The "Pontiac" looks like a well built camera and I am sure it took clear pictures.
Kind regards
Chris
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Post by pontiac1940 on Sept 23, 2021 13:35:38 GMT
Thank you michelb I had a folding camera that looked similar. Twenty years ago I gave it to a young man who expressed interest. I have a Leica IIIc from the same era. How things have changed! Clive |
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Post by michelb on Sept 23, 2021 14:52:32 GMT
Micheleb, thank you for sharing the pictures and the story. The "Pontiac" looks like a well built camera and I am sure it took clear pictures. Kind regards Chris Indeed, the camera was much more modern that the other ones: especially it was much lighter (moulded light alloy), good viewfinder. The Berthiot lens was one of the two good French manufacturers of that time (the other was Angénieux), the Prontor shutter was the best available and the negatives were good. The company was based in Paris and it's possible it was built there. I don't believe many folding 6x9 were built after that period. Just like Pontiac, my father bought a leica-like French foca (also in my collection). In 1958 he bought my 6x6 Semflex and the 35 mm Kodak Retinette with Angénieux lens to my elder brother. |
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Post by kdcintx on Sept 23, 2021 15:14:52 GMT
What a great piece of family history. The invoice is certainly a special find.
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WayneS
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Post by WayneS on Sept 26, 2021 20:23:37 GMT
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