While out car shopping, we encountered an elderly salesman with a Falcon Flex Camera displayed on his desk. He proceeded to, also, show us a black and white photograph of a couple of kids standing on the running board of a vintage car. He pointed to the one girl and said that was his grandmother.
Interestingly, he had both the camera and a photograph taken with the camera. The salesman when showed me how the camera operated by looking through the top view finder and seeing the image.
Since I take a lot of photographs for my blog, I was very much interested in it.
Some History on the Falcon Flex Camera
The Falcon Flex Camera was manufactured approximately 1939 by the Utility Manufacturing Company out of Chicago, IL.
The camera was a twin lens camera with a view finder providing a full-sized image. You could rotate the front lens of the camera to get the distance setting. The camera was covered in black fine leatherette.
The company produced a variety of products such as wall clocks, alarm clocks, electric shavers, and analog cameras all sold under various brands.
This vintage camera looks like it was well used and in pretty rough shape. The body of the camera is pretty worn looking and the lens is scratched up.
Ending Notes
I remember years ago my dad had a camera I believe he purchased overseas. It was his pride and joy. He loved taking photographs of the kids. We posed for the photographs. The sun had to be in a certain location and then he took a long time to focus and refocus the lens. Every photo counted.
However, Dad’s camera was in much better shape than the one pictured in today’s blog.
Decades ago, I was a little shocked to see Dad had his camera for sale at a swap meet. He said the lens was leaking light and it wasn’t a good camera anymore. He sold the camera quickly and cheaply to a young boy. Dad never bought another camera to replace that one and that was the end of the camera era for our family.
It was nice that our car salesman was a believer in good old country values of keeping memories alive. So, he kept his camera.
As for myself, I take hundreds of photographs every year which I post on my blog or my two volunteer newsletter sites. Guess, what I only use the camera that came with my phone, and I only edit those photographs with my camera. Yes, for me, it is so much easier that way.
But I wonder with that young boy and Dad’s camera, did that spark a photographic hobby or profession?
Resource Sites: www.bing.com/research and wikipedia.org