If you like old black and white film and Leicas ... you'll love this!

[Keith]

A friend has just asked me if I can scan some developed rolls of film for him that have been in storage for a long time in a Leica film storage box. This belonged to his wife's grandmother who apparently shot the fourteen rolls of black and white film in who knows what camera (Leica quite possibly) some time in the thirties or forties while travelling around the world. This has only been handed on to her recently ... no one has a clue what's on the negatives and to my knowledge nothing was ever printed that has been seen by current family members.

She (the grandmother) came from a family of wealthy German or Austrian industrialists and that's about as much as I know about her! It's a bit hazy as to when the the film was shot but I'm told it was probably somewhere between 1930 and the second world war. I dare say as I progress through the fourteen rolls some idea of the time frame will probably become a bit clearer.

Because the've been stored like this since they were developed they're going to be a real challenge to scan I supect and I'd appreciate advice from anyone who's faced a similar situation. The negatives appear to be in very good condition and the roll I carefully uncurled to examine appeared to be well exposed but as tight as hell as you can well imagine! 😛

 

[Pickett Wilson]

This is likely nitrocellulose film. It will be extraordinarily fragile and is highly flammable.

 

[Ducky]

Good grief, Keith, what an opportunity to see history one frame at a time right before your eyes. I hope your friend will let you share some of that with us.

 

[naruto]

That's absolutely fantastic Keith. There is one roll there marked Bombay. Will be interesting to see images from that one.
If cutting the roll is a problem, I really suggest using a light table and a DSLR with Macro lens to make initial scans. If your friend really wants larger/better quality prints, you should print them.

 

[dexdog]

I hope your friend lets you post a few of the shots- it would be real interesting to see what these areas looked like in the 1930s, such as Honolulu, which probably had only one hotel on Waikiki Beach.

Good luck on the scanning!

 

[Keith]

I meant to ask if someone can tell me what's written on the lid ... in what I assume is German?

 

[Pherdinand]

wow, you are a lucky sob dear Keith! Take good care with those rolls and make good scans, and yes, please share a few!

 

[Pherdinand]

it looks like it's the film types written on the inside of the lid...+leica patrone, that's probably = leica film cassette

 

[robklurfield]

nitrocellulose is not only highly flammable and fragile, it is also horribly prone to disintegration if not stored properly. it will literally turn to dust. hope these didn't. what a fun project this could be.

 

[Film dino]

What a privilege. The Australian climate has no doubt helped preserve these negs; in Malaysia they would have succumbed to fungus already

 

[ferider]

I do stuff like this for the local museum, Keith. The biggest batch I did was around 1000 Kodakchromes of a yearly event (the "chicken's club"), albeit Kodakchromes, mostly. Uncut B+W negatives are a pita, since the > 50 year old negatives are very strongly curled, and I am not allowed to cut the film, or re-wash it. Then there is the PS cleaning, which is a lot of work as well. I don't envy you.

 

[dcsang]

Reading a bit of the lid.. I see "Agfa" and "Kodak Super L....." , "Kodak Panchromatic" is the top film written on the box.

The cannisters have Honolulu, Java, Sydney, Darwin, America, Banff from what I can read... these could be vacation photos.

This will be interesting to see what's in there..

Dave

 

[monochromejrnl]

Great find and a wonderful opportunity. It might be worth consulting with a local museum that is familiar with handling such old and probably delicate negatives.

Here in Toronto - Ryerson University has a unique photographic preservation program - not sure if there is an equivalent down under somewhere, maybe someone in the Ryerson program could refer you to someone appropriate where you are located. http://imagearts.ryerson.ca/photopreservation/

Good luck.

 

[Mackinaw]

......Uncut B+W negatives are a pita, since the > 50 year old negatives are very strongly curled......

This can be a big problem. I have about 15 rolls of 1930's-era B&W film that are so badly curled they won't properly feed into my Nikon scanner. I'll be curious if anybody can come up with a suggestion on how to uncurl 35mm film that has been stored in a film canister for 70+ years.

Jim B.

 

[charjohncarter]

I have some nitro C negatives from my father also from the thirties. I just am very careful with them, keep them in a cool place and in those sealed cannisters. Do you have any asbestos? Mine are wrapped in silver fireproof wrap. The curling problems is very real. I tried hanging but no go. I decided not to soak in water and rehang. When I scanned I just tried the best I could to get them straightened. Here are a couple of my Dad's from the 1930s, he was not the best photographer around. But they are still fun, I just wish he had paid a little more attention to exposure:

My Uncle, still alive:

The biggest problem I had was from scratches and spots. You probably won't have scratches, but those spots take a long time. Good Luck Kieth and please post if you can.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Final results could be interesting for an exhibition... Best of lucks, and enjoy it, Keith!

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Keith]

😱 I've just discovered another roll wound even tighter and concealed 'inside' one of the other rolls ... that makes fifteen!

The guy's in no hurry and he's offered to pay me for my time ... curiosity as to what is actually on them is his main driving interest. One roll was stored loose in the box and does have some water damage but looks like it still should scan OK.

I'm not sure that these have actually been stored in OZ. I hope to get some more info in the next couple of days from his wife who's an academic and is never home! 😛

 

[charjohncarter]

Final results could be interesting for an exhibition... Best of lucks, and enjoy it, Keith!

Cheers,

Juan

Correct! My Father-in-law went though North Africa and Italy during WWII with his Kodak Bantum. He had many rolls more than Keith has of B&W which he never printed. Some how they got lost late in his life, I tore his house apart looking for them when he died. But nothing. What a loss, becasue unlike my Father he was a good photographer.

 

[Sparrow]

Sounds a bit of a thankless task Keith, cellulose acetate or triacetate not quite as flammable as the earlier stuff but I'd still take care the film base is likely very brittle if it hasn't crumbled already.

I have a lot of Rayon fabric in my swatch-books (made from the same stuff) that's the same era and is starting to fall apart now, if the cans smell of vinegar when you take the lids off expect the worst

 

[oftheherd]

Keith - any chance you could get a little more contrast on the lid? I see the Kodak Panatomic, the Leica Pantrone, and Agfa. I can't make out the Agfa or the other Kodak. I know Kodak had a Super XX, but obviously that isn't what that is. I will try to look in an old Kodak guide book I have, and some other old things that might shed a clue on the Agfa. Hopefully a slide copier (if bellows, they don't require a macro, but it will give better results) will work. The real problem is getting them uncurled. Maybe ferider would be willing to share some advice with a PM to him.

I hope you get useful photos, and that the owners will allow you to share them here. What a treasure find. They certainly were well traveled.