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Week 2: Assembling A Camera Replica

July 26, 2024 by kjmooney

During the second week of my internship, Dr. Bucher and I put together a replica of a nineteenth century camera. At first, when we unboxed it, we thought it was accurate to the period. Upon further inspection, we realized that it was replicated. It had two lens caps that came with it which were one of the indicators that it was a replica because they looked to be a bit newer than what they would have been if the camera was not a replica. As you can see in the above photo, when looking through the lens, it looks like a camera obscura. It was interesting to see what a camera would have been like in the late 19th century.

At the same time as we were putting together the camera, I had been sorting through the vernacular photos donated by Dr. Gibbs. While I was sorting through them, I had often wondered why so many of the photos were taken outside. When I was assisting Dr. Bucher with putting the camera together, I asked him. I learned that people took photos outside because older cameras did not have a flash on them, so it was important to take photos where there was light so the photos would not be dark.

In the above photos, you can see the camera we put together and the tripod it came with!

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