Exhibition of an Anthony camera
A large-sized camera that had been kept in the Image Laboratory of the Department of Research Programming has recently been completely restored and is being shown to the general public from June 5 in the former research room on the first floor of the Kuroda Memorial Hall. This camera is a studio camera modeled after a camera produced by E. & H. T. Anthony & Company in the United States and imported in the early part of the 20th century. The predecessor of the Institute, The Art Research Institute, used this camera from the time of its inauguration and early days until the post-war period in order to photograph art works and such for research. It also contributed to preserving many cultural properties in the form of recorded images. In this exhibition, the camera is displayed with its lens facing outside so that visitors can see the outdoor scenery reflected upside down on the ground glass. In addition, other optical instruments that were indispensable in research and investigation, such as an 8 mm camera and a twin-lens reflex camera manufactured in pre-war France, are exhibited. Moreover, efforts are now being made to preserve glass plate negatives photographed with such cameras. At the same time, their digitization is in progress so that they can be made public and contribute to research.