An impressive array of antique cameras is on display in the lobby on the main level of the Morse Institute Library. This collection is only a fraction of the hundreds featured at the Natick Vintage Camera Museum, located at 5 Summer St. in Natick.
The museum, curated by Natick resident Scott Pressler, began as a passion project, but became more.
“What started out as an interest in the form, function, and beauty of pre-digital photographic equipment, turned into a rescue mission for unwanted cameras and analogue image capture, development and projection,” a sign accompanying the exhibit reads.
To accompany the cameras, the library put up a display of reading material about photography and cameras, from how-to books to photo collections to novels. (Photos by Ella Stern)
The growth of Pressler’s collection was a group effort. Community members started donating their old cameras and gear after seeing some of Pressler’s on display over his desk in his old office on Natick’s Main Street. When his office moved to its current location at 5 Summer St., the owners of that building allowed Pressler to open a museum there to showcase his collection. Eventually, the WCVB show Chronicle covered Pressler’s museum in an episode about Natick.
“After that, the cameras started arriving at the crate full,” Pressler recalled.
Not all of Pressler’s cameras are included in the library display. With help from his intern, Pressler “tried to pick a good cross-section of cameras based on age, film type, complexity, and lens configuration,” he wrote.
This varied display reflects how, to Pressler, it is not just photographs that have something to share—it is also the cameras themselves.
“The collection is important to me because it represents history and I feel that I have become a steward of that history,” he wrote. “Each of these cameras has a story to tell. They’ve traveled the world, recorded birthdays, weddings and backyard barbecues, [and more].”
Pressler hopes that library patrons who see the exhibit will share in his rich appreciation of photography.
“Seeing them displayed at the library makes me hopeful that more people—especially young people—will develop an interest in the history of photography,” Pressler wrote. “With the advent of smartphones, and before that, digital cameras, I feel that we have lost touch with the process and nuance of creating a photo. A lot of the same rules still apply in terms of lighting and composition, but the art and craft of developing pictures may become a lost skill if the knowledge is not passed on and practiced.”
Pressler’s hopes for the collection extend beyond this exhibit.
“I hope to find a permanent home for the collection someday so that it might be enjoyed by future generations,” he wrote. “I also hope that these cameras get used again, by some curious person who wants to reach back in time and experience the joys, challenges, surprises, and even the anguish of taking photos in the pre-digital age.”
The cameras will be displayed in the library until Sunday, June 30. Those who visit the exhibit and can’t get enough can view the full collection at the Natick Vintage Camera Museum from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and by appointment.
More: We visited the camera museum in 2022
A shelf stocked with antique cameras
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