Nigel Atherton looks back at past AP issues in our archive, this week we’ve selected the 16 March 1932
16 March 1932 cover
The 1932 Spring and Empire Number featured on its cover a host of golden daffodils, and in colour, no less – a rarity for covers of the time. In the inter-war years AP published an annual Empire issue with contributions almost entirely from residents of the colonies. Not all of whom enjoyed springtime in the month of March.
Tales of photography in East Africa
Wallace Heaton: endorsed by God, no less
‘For the lonely man of tropical countries there exists, perhaps, no more fascinating hobby than photography,’ wrote one correspondent using the nom de plume “African Amateur”. ‘The writer of these jottings, when in East Africa, found it a splendid pastime which, incidentally, brought him a fair financial return by taking photographs of natives.
At the Harbour, by F.R Ratnagar of India. From the Colonial and Overseas contest
While professional photographers live 100 miles away in the big townships, the natives depend for portraits on the amateur; and a native simply loves to see his own face’. Living 120 miles from the nearest shops he stressed the importance of maintaining supplies. ‘With petrol at three shillings a gallon I couldn’t just run over on my motorcycle to buy a shilling’s worth of developer.’
British-made Ensign Carbines at £243 and £400 in today’s money
In Choosing the 1932 Camera, the choice was between roll-film cameras (ideally the folding type, rather than the ‘cheap boxform type’); the pocket plate camera (preferably with some ‘rise of front’) and the reflex (the most popular choice among ‘the leaders of photography’).
Ads for the Leica Model II and Rolleiflex
Meanwhile an ad entitled Good Advice: the Reverend knows a good thing recounts a fictional encounter with the local vicar, who bought his camera from Wallace Heaton and advised readers to do the same.
A round up of lenses and useful sundries
