Analogue Calendarium

Analogue Calendarium A small outpost on Facebook about film photography, with old and new images, and no set theme. Why “Analogue Calendarium”?

Basically, because I thought it sounded 'good', and because I didn’t want something obvious. I hope to post images that will be old and new, like a calendar of events, not tied to one era or even style. And, the simple passing of time, amongst other things, makes many images interesting.

28/02/2024

Sorry everyone! Hoping to have some new photographs to post soon, as always these will cover a variety of subjects, and will also include some images which I’m pleased to have been given access to. Should be able to scan them soon!

Returning to one of my favourite places, a view of Piccadilly Circus taken in July 1959.The colours on this particular i...
08/10/2023

Returning to one of my favourite places, a view of Piccadilly Circus taken in July 1959.

The colours on this particular image seem to be remarkably vivid. As always, there is a lot going on even though the day appears to be quite dull!

Drum scan of an original Kodachrome slide. Not previously published.

A view of the Fulton Fish Market at its historic location at Pier 19 on the East River, near Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan,...
28/09/2023

A view of the Fulton Fish Market at its historic location at Pier 19 on the East River, near Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, Autumn 1936.

Aside from a fisherman working on his boat, this image shows the aftermath of the collapse of the market which occurred in August 1936.

The second of the series from some very early Kodachrome slides I recently acquired. As previously, the very unstable nature of the first Kodachrome version meant that this slide had faded to magenta badly, but a high accuracy scan, together with Photoshop work has recovered a good approximation of the original photograph. Some damage from 87 years in its slide mount can be seen at the edges.

Drum scan of an original Kodachrome slide. Not previously published.

Actor and author Russell Thorndike, photographed by Pamela Chandler, London, 1959.Pamela Chandler was one of a handful o...
09/07/2023

Actor and author Russell Thorndike, photographed by Pamela Chandler, London, 1959.

Pamela Chandler was one of a handful of leading female London society photographers in the mid-20th century. Her reputation was such that many famous or notable people of the time sat for her at her studio in Beauchamp Place. She was the first female photographer to produce an official photograph of a sitting Prime Minister (Harold Macmillan) and her style developed to use dramatic, low-level lighting resulting in strong contrast and highlights.

She died in 1993, and her archive was auctioned at the end of 2021. I was thrilled to secure a number of original negatives from the archive, and I intend to scan and publish some of them in the months ahead.

Russell Thorndike, following his service in World War I, developed a career on the stage that lasted over 40 years, whilst also appearing in films including two appearances alongside Laurence Olivier. He was also author of the Doctor Syn novels, set in Romney Marsh, Kent. Brother of Dame Sybil Thorndike, he died in London in 1972.

Drum scan of an original large format black-and-white negative. Not previously published.

New York City in the rain, at the junction of Seventh Avenue and 48th Street, sometime in 1968 or 1969.This was one of t...
30/06/2023

New York City in the rain, at the junction of Seventh Avenue and 48th Street, sometime in 1968 or 1969.

This was one of those images where I had no idea what would be involved in getting it to a condition I was happy with. Once scanned, I realised the emulsion of the negative had thousands upon thousands of tiny defects – holes, scrapes and other damage which had not been hidden even with a scan under oil. It has taken nearly four months working in my spare time to finish doing the corrections manually.

I am glad I did though – this is the kind of spectacular urban image I absolutely love. If any car or theatre enthusiasts can help in identifying the vehicles and narrowing the date down I would be most grateful!

Drum scan of an original large format black and white negative. Not previously published.

Manhattan, New York City, near the modern-day Pier 15 area on the East River, looking toward Brooklyn with the Brooklyn ...
23/05/2023

Manhattan, New York City, near the modern-day Pier 15 area on the East River, looking toward Brooklyn with the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges in the background. Taken on a cold afternoon in Autumn 1936.

I was happy to acquire some very early Kodachrome slides recently, most of which were taken in 1936 and 1937 at the dawn of mass colour photography. When Kodachrome for 35mm cameras was released in September 1936, it was eye-wateringly expensive. The first version was also very unstable, often fading to magenta or brown after only a few months, and consequently good examples are quite rare.

This image was taken in New York City in Autumn 1936, probably only a month or so after Kodachrome was released. In the distance, buildings housing the Eagle Warehouse and Storage Company, Squibb and National can be seen. With badly faded and colour shifted images it is impossible to predict how well restoration will turn out, but in this example, enough information remained to bring back a good approximation of the original transparency. An accurate scan under oil definitely helped.

In the months ahead, I hope to be able to post more of this collection which was taken in and around NYC and further in NY state.

Drum scan of an original Kodachrome slide. Not previously published.

A street scene in West Yellowstone, Montana, United States taken in July 1959.This is the type of street scene I love lo...
21/04/2023

A street scene in West Yellowstone, Montana, United States taken in July 1959.

This is the type of street scene I love looking at, with so many shops, other businesses and people in view. The slide itself was very faded but the colours have restored quite well.

Drum scan of an original Kodachrome slide. Not previously published.

"Development, what development?"London's docklands at Canary Wharf, 1992, looking somewhat more empty than now.Drum scan...
02/04/2023

"Development, what development?"

London's docklands at Canary Wharf, 1992, looking somewhat more empty than now.

Drum scan of an original Kodachrome slide. Not previously published.

“Lost London”Staff of W.A. Hudson Limited pose for a company photograph outside head office and showroom at 125 Curtain ...
24/03/2023

“Lost London”

Staff of W.A. Hudson Limited pose for a company photograph outside head office and showroom at 125 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London in Spring or Summer 1977.

Hudson was a former cabinet ironmonger, curtain pole and curtain sundries - tapes, linings, rails etc - manufacturer with several locations in London. Its head office was in Shoreditch, which had a strong furniture manufacturing tradition. Sadly, by the time this photograph was taken, the furniture industry in the east end was in rapid decline and it appears that Hudson closed in 1980.

I scanned this image during my first large format scanning session. As previously, I cannot believe the detail that is contained within these huge pieces of film.

Drum scan of an original large format colour negative. Not previously published.

Piccadilly Circus at dusk, early 1982.Back to one of my favourite locations, this was the era that the old neon signs we...
16/03/2023

Piccadilly Circus at dusk, early 1982.

Back to one of my favourite locations, this was the era that the old neon signs were being replaced.

This was also the first time that I had tried drum scanning large format (4x5) film, and I am pleased with the result. The area of each image is about 13 times that of 35mm film and the detail at full resolution is simply jaw-dropping. Sadly, FB has crushed some of the quality but the colours still look great.

Drum scan of an original large format colour negative. Not previously published.

Fragments / FragmentyEnglish: Taken on 14 September 1942 in the botanical gardens of occupied Łódź, Poland, this image f...
05/03/2023

Fragments / Fragmenty

English: Taken on 14 September 1942 in the botanical gardens of occupied Łódź, Poland, this image features the same girl as in two of my previous posts.

With the passing of time, together with the historical context, a mundane family photo gains another dimension.

I do not know if the girl in the photo was the daughter of a local Pole or of a member of the German occupation force.

Drum scan of an original Agfacolor slide. Not previously published.

Polski: Zdjęcie zostało zrobione 14go września 1942 roku w ogrodach botanicznych Łodzi pod okupacją. Na zdjęciu figuruje ta sama dziewczynka z moich dwóch poprzednich postów.

Z perspektywy czasu, zwykłe rodzinne zdjęcie nabrało znaczenia historycznego.

Nieznane mi jest to czy dziewczynka na zdjęciu jest łodzianką czy tez rodziną niemieckiego dygnitarza.

Skan oryginalnej kliszy Agfacolor, nigdy wcześniej publikowany.

Piccadilly Circus, Spring 1970Another slide from the small group of 1970 slides which are all in perfect condition. This...
24/02/2023

Piccadilly Circus, Spring 1970

Another slide from the small group of 1970 slides which are all in perfect condition. This image must have been taken with the camera on a tripod as it is very sharp.

‘2001 – A Space Odyssey’ was playing at the Empire in Leicester Square, and Honor Blackman was in a show at the Piccadilly Theatre. I have not seen too many photographs with the combination of advertisements seen.

Drum scan of an original Kodachrome slide. Not previously published.

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