Photographic Equipment Collection

Brief description

This collection contains a representative sample of 19th and 20th century technology for both studio and outdoor photography, including cameras, printing frames and photo folders, burnishing rollers, light masks, change bags, back sheets, developing tanks and trays, timers, enlargers, tripods, plate holders, flash guns, and exposure meters

Full description

The majority of the cameras and associated developing and printing equipment in the Queensland Museum collection are pre-1950s models, particularly folding cameras, box cameras and Kodak branded objects, with some significant SLR and TLR models from the 1960s-1970s. Significant groupings include: Cameras in Research - the Prickly Pear Board, based in Queensland from 1921 used cameras in their research activities both in Australia and overseas. The Museum has three camera models used by the Board. There is also the Kodak 3A Autographic Brownie used in CM Yonge's Great Barrier Reef Expedition, and the Kodak that accompanied Captain Leslie Blake on Mawson's Australian Antarctic Expedition. Cameras in Aviation - includes Lorres Bonney's Kodak Brownie Six-20 and the folding roll-film camera presented to Kingsford Smith by his Co-Directors from National Airways. Box Brownies - approximately 50 box cameras including the first Kodak Box Brownie model. Queensland Photographic Studios - includes a very large studio plate camera and accessories from Ipswich photographic studio of F A Whitehead & Sons. The Haig Photographic Studio Collection (1868-1984), one of the longest running studios in Queensland. Along with the accessories, studio decoration and developing technology, these cameras tell the story of a Queensland family studio (based in Warwick) that evolved from a nineteenth into a twentieth century business. The Port Collection consists of whole and partial cameras used by an early freelance news photographer and this equipment complements photographic images taken by Port which are held in the Queensland Museum and State Library collections.