On a weekly basis Archives and Special Collections gets asked the question “What do you have stored in all those boxes”. In answer to this query, we introduce our “Thinking Inside the Box” exhibit and blog series. The series aims to showcase what we have stored away on shelves and in boxes out of the public eye. “Thinking Inside the Box – Photography” is the first in this series.
Ryerson Library’s Special Collections was founded in 2005 with the donation of the Kodak Canada Corporate Archive and Heritage Collection. Since this time, donations of photography and film-related materials have grown Special Collections exponentially, making up a major part of its holdings. Books, periodicals, photography and developing equipment are just some of the items we house. The camera collection boasts almost 800 cameras ranging in dates from the late 1860s to the early 2000s and include examples of miniature, instamatic, panoramic, and enlarging models.
The exhibit in the Archives and Special Collections reading room features some of this large collection of materials. The exhibits showcase a variety of cameras including: miniature; novelty; movie; flash; Polaroid; twin lens; and varied format. The exhibit also features other camera and developing equipment. The following images showcase a few of the artifacts on display
Ricoh Golden 16 miniature camera 1958 (2005.006.08.25) 
Hit sub-miniature camera ca. 1950s (2005.006.08.13) 
Minolta 16-P camera 1960-1965 (2005.006.08.60) 
Minolta Mini 16 slide projector ca. 1960 (2005.005.9.005) 
Bridgestone Tire Camera RE47 ca. 1981 (2005.006.18.02) 
Expo Watch Camera 1905 (2005.006.06.02) 
Zeiss Ikon Baby Box 54/18 camera 1934-1938 (2005.006.08.09) 
Ensign Ful-Vue, 1945 (2005.006.05.66) 
Seneca View camera ca. 1907 (2005.006.02.02) 
No. 1 Kodak Enlarging Camera early 20th century (2005.001.05.05.022)
The exhibit runs until October 31, 2019.