Shopping from ebay: Beaulieu Movie Cameras

 

  

 

One of my most prized, obsolete possessions is a Beaulieu S2008 Super 8 motion picture camera.  I've owned this camera for over twenty years without using it to shoot a single frame of film.  I purchased it in the 90s from the original owner who advised me to replace the decaying battery.  After costing out my options, I discovered that a replacement battery would cost more than the camera was worth.  As it were, I've held onto the non functional camera as evidence of an era when film and motion picture cameras were designed to be both functional, durable and beautiful.  In researching my own camera, I discovered all sorts of terrific print ephemera on ebay including operating manuals, lens boxes and magazine ads.  I'm posting a few of my favorite examples plus hero shots of several stunning Beaulieu motion picture camera models. 

Archival Picnic

From the archives, here are some exemplary snaps of classic summer picnics.  What could be better than an impromptu, en plein meal in the trees, next to water or on the patio of a tent trailer.  When Tom packs for a picnic, he prefers to bring along real plates, flatwear and glasses.  Lynn has been shopping for Made in USA picnic supplies that add a little kick to the spread.  Her recent finds include compostable wooden spoons, paper drinking straws and of course, canvas throws.  Since I'm spending so many outdoor hours on my bicycle, I prefer to picnic indoors, via my screen surrogate, Doris Day, and her Sleep-Tite pajama factory colleagues.  The Fosse choreographed, Once a Year Day picnic, perfectly encapsulates all the wild glee, group dancing, aspirational color blocking  and mass mayhem of a first rate American picnic.  A future post will address the lost of art of picnic blanket tossing.

 

 

 

 

Shopping from ebay - Vintage Swimwear

 

Poolside wool in Coral Gables (via Florida Memory Project)

When I was a student in Seattle, the University pool leased out woolen bathers for day use.  This was 1990.  I'm pretty sure the school stocked their supply from the municipal pool in Buster Keaton's The Camerman.  If you're shopping for your very own vintage suit, I advise that you browse the listings on ebay.  A recent search produced many handsome models.  My favorites are those made by the Portland, Oregon based Jantzen swimwear company.  The company's logo - a swan diving lady - is in desperate need of reissue.

 

Keaton's bather

Note accessory rubber bathing shoes

 

  

Archival Rolled Sleeves

I'm not a big fan of summer weight garb.  I much prefer to modify my standard winter wardrobe of woolens and long sleeve cotton shirts for warmer weather  Why buy cotton poplin or linen or gingham for the abbreviated northwest summer (July-August) when you could just roll up your sleeves for the same degree of ventilation.  The Art of Manliness offers this detailed style guide for best practices on rolling your sleeves.  For exemplary examples from the archives, see below:

 

 

 

 

Shopping from 1945 - American Lawn Tennis