The latest new baby

Over the weekend the three of us went to an estate sale in Naperville. Going through the house - a rickety 19th Century relic that's been in the same family for three generations - was interesting in its own right, but it's always nice to take a little something away. And I did just that, picking up the Beacon camera pictured above. It's a lovely little thing, with Art Deco touches and made (I believe) of Bakelite, which fits comfortably in the palm of the hand. It was made by Whitehouse Products, Inc. of Brooklyn, sometime during the early 1950s, and is admittedly more of a snapshot camera than anything a serious photographer would use - the lens is fixed focus and the aperture appears to be a little balky, so I doubt I'll ever actually photograph anything with it. (It also uses 127 film, which I don't even think is made anymore.) But it looks quite sharp on our bedroom mantel, right next to its new big brother. And it was only eight bucks, so I really couldn't resist.

I now officially have a collection on my hands.