entering natick sign

entering natick sign

Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

  • Subscribe to daily email
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Summer Camp
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Redhawks sports schedule & results
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Events
  • Kids
  • Business
  • Environment
  • Top 10 things to do
  • The Swellesley Report
  • Beyond Natick
  • History
  • Government
  • Seniors
  • Support independent journalism
  • Natick Nest articles
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Town Election 2023


Natick Vintage Camera Museum is a snapshot of history

July 12, 2022 by Duncan Brown Leave a Comment

Camera Museum

Tucked away on a side street in Natick Center is a museum that many residents may have unknowingly wandered past. The Natick Vintage Camera Museum, located on the second floor of 5 Summer St., has been put together and curated by Scott Pressler. Scott began collecting cameras in his high school days as evidenced by a photo of him in his bedroom, antique cameras on the shelves behind him. Since then, he has found cameras at yard sales, antique stores, and even in trash bags. His collection eventually grew into what is now a public display of film cameras, pocket cameras, spy cameras, cameras that look like soda cans, Polaroids, film projectors, and a dozen other types of cameras.

Camera Museum

Not all these cameras were part of the original collection, however. Scott opened the museum exclusively to display his own collection, but things quickly ramped up. What really tipped things over the edge was when WCVB’s Chronicle featured the museum in early 2019. Ever since, people looking to offload their own antique cameras have come in and either offered to hand them over or sell them to the collection. At this point, Scott has more cameras than he has display room, and more keep coming. It’s his hope that the collection can be taken on by a university or some other qualified organization. Scott says that he wants to see the cameras taken care of and preserved, something he feels he can’t do properly. Scott described himself as a caretaker for the cameras, not an owner, and it is his wish that the history they represent can be carried on, which he says can only be done by more qualified and dedicated professionals.

The museum opened shortly before the pandemic and was receiving a steady stream of visitors. Since it has reopened, there have been slightly fewer people coming to see the exhibit, but guests still come from as far away as the Cape. Admission is free, and it’s a very interesting display, with all sorts of cameras, which Scott seems to know all about. There is no glass in front of most of the displays, because Scott wants people to come and actually “pick up and interact with the cameras.” He said that he’s not worried about them being damaged, as they’re from a “rough and tumble era,” and that they would probably be fine if they were dropped.

Camera Museum

One particularly interesting artifact was a Kodak instant camera, which was designed to print pictures on the fly. Polaroid was also interested in the camera, and thought that Kodak’s technology was a bit too similar to theirs, which had hit the market first. After a protracted legal battle, Polaroid was awarded $900 million from Kodak, and Kodak stopped making both instant cameras and their film. This wasn’t the only way a Polaroid has touched the museum, however. A donation of cameras was given to the museum by Marsha Haskell, who worked on creating Polaroid’s instant photo technology.

Not everything in the museum is a camera. Recently received was a box of glass slides from the 1880s, an early precursor to film. Images on the slides include portraits, and pictures of old boats. 

natick camera museum

Hopefully Scott’s wish of seeing his collection picked up by a museum comes true, but until then we urge you to go and check out this unique part of history in Natick.
________________________________________________________________________________________

PLACE: Natick Vintage Camera Museum
ADDRESS: 5 Summer Street, 2nd floor, Natick, MA 01760
PHONE: 508-651-0180
HOURS: By appointment or by chance


Natick Report ad

Filed Under: Art, Entertainment, Technology

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Advertisements





Tip us off!

Please send news tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com

If you’d like to contribute $ to support our independent journalism venture, please do….

Advertisements

Categories

  • Animals
  • Art
  • Bacon Free Library
  • Beyond Natick
  • Books
  • Boston Marathon
  • Business
  • Camps
  • Charity/Fundraising
  • Charles River dam
  • Community
  • Construction
  • COVID-19
  • Education
  • Election
  • Embracing diversity
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Firefighters
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Government
  • Health
  • History
  • Holidays
  • Kids
  • Letters to the editor
  • Media
  • Military
  • Morse Institute Library
  • Music
  • Natick Election 2022
  • Natick Historical Society
  • Natick History Museum
  • Natick Nest
  • Natick track
  • Neighbors
  • Obituaries & remembrances
  • Opinion
  • Outdoors
  • Parents
  • Police & crime
  • Real estate
  • Recycling Center
  • Religion
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Seniors
  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Theater
  • Town election 2021
  • Town Election 2023
  • Transportation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Vacation
  • Veterans
  • Volunteering
  • Voting
  • Weather
lion publishers
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Get our email newsletter

* indicates required
Our newsletter is free, though we gladly accept contributions to support our work.

Most Read Posts

  • One high school student’s push to save Natick ballroom hidden in plain sight
  • Natick business buzz: Mr. Nice Dog coming to Rte. 9; Dairy Queen is back; The Hive readies to reveal
  • Sign up now for summer camp in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick's Wilson Middle school enriched with cafeteria composting program
  • Take a load off: Natick getting more public Adirondack chairs

Click image to read The Swellesley Report

The Swellesley Report

Upcoming Events

Mar 25
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

‘The Spongebob Musical: Youth Edition’ at Kennedy Middle School

Mar 25
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Singer/songwriter Mary Fahl at TCAN

Mar 26
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

‘The Spongebob Musical: Youth Edition’ at Kennedy Middle School

Apr 1
11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Fair in the Square, Wellesley

Apr 11
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Online meeting to address flooding in Natick

View Calendar

Pages

  • Letters to the editor on Natick Report
  • Guidelines for Natick Report letters to the editor
  • Natick election 2023—guidelines for promoting candidates and ballot questions
  • Natick’s 2023 Boston Marathon charity runners
  • Natick, Massachusetts libraries
  • Comment Policy
  • Bacon Free Library in Natick, hours for winter 2023
  • Morse Institute Library in Natick—hours for winter 2023
  • Resources for seniors in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Report corrections policy
  • Scenic Roads in Natick
  • Where to stay in Natick, Mass. (hotels, inns)
  • Private Schools in Natick (and beyond)
  • Natick Summer Camps (and beyond)
  • Where to eat in Natick, Mass: more that 70 dining options
  • Natick, Mass., history
  • Natick government
  • Natick No-Nos
  • Embracing diversity in Natick
  • Where to worship in Natick
  • Kid stuff (sports, clubs, activities in Natick, Mass.)
  • Contribute to Natick Report
  • Natick Little Free Libraries
  • Natick public schools
  • Where to sled in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick COVID-19 & vaccine news
  • Natick’s zip code & post offices
  • Natick charitable and community action groups
  • Top 10 things to do in Natick, Mass.
  • Natick Arts/Entertainment
  • About Natick Report
  • Advertise on Natick Report
  • Natick rules: Chickens yes, roosters no
  • Natick Election 2023, political candidates advertising
  • Natick election 2022—candidate interviews

© 2023 Natick Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login