[W&B] Re: Woodandbrass Digest

[MATTRI at aol.com]

I was reading the last issue and Ralph & Bobbi London asked about the 
reprints and I saw some addresses that pulled at my heartstrings from the early days 
of collecting. 
The first was Special 1972 Reprint Edition
Classic Photographic Apparatus
Simsbury, Connecticut.
John Craig, as a young man, owned a commercial camera store at that time and 
lived in Simsbury CT. At his own expense he started copying nineteenth century 
catalogues and selling them for a pittance. He loved photo history so much 
that he wanted the knowledge to be available to the many, not the few. He knew 
very early that knowledge was power. He was right. He still has many of the 
catalogues available on his website. The one mentioned is 
#90016. Catalog Reprint: 1872 E. & H.T. ANTHONY CATALOG Fascimile reprint of 
the original 48-page catalog appendix to the 1872British Journal Photographic 
Almanac. Fully illustrated, with all theAnthony cameras, lenses, studio 
accessories, etc. Valuable reference.  $10.00
and can be found at http://www.craigcamera.com/ref.htm. 
The next address that tugged at me was 
Photographic Apparatus, E. & H.T. Anthony & Co. Catalog, Ca. 1877.  
Reprint Edition 1972, Photographica, 20 Stoneboat Road, Westport, Conn. 06880
.
That was the address of John Dobron who was featured in George Gilbert's 
book, Photographica. He also did a reprint for the same reason that John Craig 
did. He had a wonderful collection which he kept in Westport CT. He commuted to 
NYC where he had a well paying job in advertising. Every extra dollar he made 
went into his collection. He had thousands of items in his home on Stoneboat 
Road. He was divorced and single with a big house. He filled seven rooms from 
ceiling to floor with photographic items. Even his bedroom had ceiling to floor 
shelving with every type of camera you could think of. 

In the mid-seventies, he had a party in his house for about 20 of the best 
informed camera collectors in the country and just about everyone who was anyone 
at that time came. It was a wonderful time, great food, great liquor and 
great conversations. Sadly in the mid-1980s he had a major stroke which paralyzed 
his right side totally and he lost his ability to speak. I do not know what 
happened to that wonderful collection, but John ended up destitute and on relief 
living in a convalescent home. He is still alive and in his eightees living 
at 451 No. High St. #208, East Haven CT 06512-1555. We write each other a 
snail-mail letter about twice a year. It was too late for him to learn the 
computer. I haven't heard from him in a few months and cannot help but wonder. 

Yet, the first person to do a reprint that I was aware of was a teenager at 
the time and he did a reprint of the complete Kodak catalogue of 1892 (I 
think). It was a treasure to the Kodak collector. He is still very active in 
photohistory, is very active in the Daguerreian Society, and has one of the best 
sites on photohistory on the Net. His name is Bill Becker and he runs the American 
Museum of Photography on the internet. http://www.photographymuseum.com . 

Bill Rodgers of Frankfurt KY told me he paid to print the 1888 W D Gatchell 
Catalogue - Facsimile Edition. He is gone about ten years now, but if memory 
serves me correctly, he also owned the catalogue and wanted it to have more 
circulation, being from the South. 
That is enough of a ride down memory lane for tonight. I hope I have been of 
some help Bobbi and Ralph. 
Respectfully yours, 
Matthew R. Isenburg


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