In Field and Fen, Kodak No. 1 and Spirit Photographs
Yet more photographic treasures spill forth for you today, this time from the coffers of the National Media Museum, the first British institution to join The Commons on Flickr.
Despite my own British heritage, I’d never heard of a “fen” before seeing the lovely photogravures in ‘Pictures From Life in Field and Fen‘, a portfolio from Peter Henry Emerson. Published in 1887, the museum has also published the pages of the book itself in an additional set.
In 1888, George Eastman introduced the world’s first “point and shoot” camera, the Kodak No. 1. Loaded with a roll of film enough for one hundred photographs, the photographer would turn a key on the camera to wind the film on. Once the roll was finished, the whole camera would be returned to Kodak for processing. (See camerapedia entry.) This collection contains snapshots taken with a Kodak No. 1—and without a viewfinder— circa 1890.
And last, but certainly not least is a small set of unbelievably curious Spirit Photographs taken around 1920, by a British medium named William Hope, “unearthed in a Lancashire second-hand and antiquarian bookshop by one of the Museum’s curators.”
In other Commons news, an industrious chap called Paul Hagon has built a great “Then and Now” mashup using geotagged Commons photos from the Powerhouse Museum and Google’s street view so you can see what Sydney used to look like. Here’s a link to Paul’s proof of concept - just click on a picture on the left side to see what it looks like today!
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“Is it ok if I pass a photo onto some friends? I was brought up in Aberdeen and by the looks of it they live in the west end of aberdeen. A bit older than me but perhaps someones older brother or sister might know.” 
“Like Sharkey I recognised the Rubislaw Quarry and on Friday drove past it to confirm. Drove around for a wee while, just on the off chance, and at one time was only one street away from Forest Ave….that’s just like the thing!” 
“I was out all day and drove down the street in number 008,. The early photos ie the ones with the girl holding a dog, I am 99% sure were taken from in front of 61 Forest Avenue, Aberdeen. The trees in the photo’s, the buildings opposite, the traffic signs and lights all match up. “ 
“Hello everyone! I’m the guy who lost the camera!!!!! Irenicdonna, your efforts are truly amazing. I don’t know if there are many (or enough) people in the world who would do what you’ve done. I can’t thank you enough. My wife and I do indeed live in Aberdeen (with our wee dog ‘Moe’). The pictures are from trips to Rome and Brussels, my little sister’s wedding, and lastly, a hillwalking trip with friends through the Highlands, Isle of Skye, and Glencoe. We didn’t know the camera was lost until it was too late to retrace our steps.” 
Do you remember sitting around in the dark after dinner at your grandparents’ place, watching old family movies and looking through photos?
One of the main improvements we’ve made is that you can watch videos as they appear in a slideshow. When we come to a video in a slideshow, we’ll play it before we move on to the next item.
