Journalism of Courage
A spycam from World War II and 100-yr-old glass negatives on display at Kolkata photo exhibition
1 / 8World Photo Day is celebrated by photographers and photo enthusiasts across the world on August 19, which was the day the French government patented the daguerreotype printing process and then released it to the world for free in 1839. Now, the day is observed to acknowledge the importance of photography in our lives and to spread awareness. On this occasion, a three-day Archival Photographic Equipment and Accessories Exhibition is being held at the Chitrabani Library, Kolkata. The event is in collaboration with Centre For People's Photography and Hobby Galleries, and showcases around 50 vintage cameras and 200-odd photo-and-camera accessories - some as old as 150 years! The exhibition is on till August 19 (3-7pm). Click through to see pictures of what you can expect to see there. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
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2 / 8The exhibition also features walks by the organisers, such as veteran photo journalist Aroop Datta, who takes visitors around all the fascinating exhibits, explaining each and every element - from the over-a-century-old glass plate negative to a miniature camera dating back to World War II. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
3 / 8One of the 100-year-old-glass plate negatives that are on exhibit. According to Datta, the wooden box (which would date back to the 1900s) has 25 intact glass negatives - each 5"x7" - which is a rarity. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
4 / 8The glass negatives predate film ones, which were invented in 1888 by George Eastman. Datta speculates that the box of negatives could have been owned by an old zamindar in India. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
5 / 8One of the exhibits is a 50-year-old US Polaroid instant photo camera, Model 95 A. Datta hopes that this exhibition - which is the largest collection of the kind he's seen in India - would create enough interest and buzz among photographers and photo enthusiasts alike to enable him to find more support and funding for a bigger exhibition next year. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
6 / 8This is not the first time that such an exhibition is being organised in Kolkata, but it is defintely the first time that three different bodies have come together for such an initiative. On Day 1, a group of Italian visitors stopped by at the exhibition and were delighted to find such photographic treasures. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
7 / 8Speaking about some of the classic pieces at the exhibition, Datta pointed out the almost 75-year-old miniature spy camera from World War II. This lovely specimen is 1.5"x1"x0.75" in dimension, and could be dismissed off as a regular toy camera, if only one did not know about its rich and exciting heritage. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
8 / 8The oldest camera at the exhibition is this beautiful pinhole camera, which Datta says could be around 150 years old. The peculiarity of the pinhole camera is that it doesn't have a lens, and is a simple camera with a single small aperture, a pinhole. Basically, it's a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. (Express photo by Partha Paul)
