Norton
c1934
According to McKeown, Universal Camera had Norton Labs design a
camera for them. There was some sort of a pissing contest between the
two and Norton continued with the camera shown at left.
Universal produced the “Univex” line of miniature cameras which are
well know among collectors.
The Norton pictured here produced six 1 1/8″ x 1 1/2″ images on No. 00
roll film. I’ve struggled with this size film before and had nothing to show for it.
So when this camera showed up from San Fransisco I had little hope for the film inside.
There’s no doubt about the body language. It’s this kids birthday, for sure.
Losing your clothes and Mom’s dependable presence can make even the hardest birthday boy
crack a smile. Having an inground swimming pool ain’t bad either. Why the hell does Dad
have such a terrible camera ?
There’s a metal drinking utensil at the pool edge. I remember those as being pretty exotic.
You could feel the cold through them better than a plastic or glass thing. They also
had lots of condensation on them.
There’s a suggestive aire to this photograph. Even through the grain, light leaks and decades,
a guy like me can sense the temptation here. The heels, skewed hips and lean toward the house
leave little doubt about what’s being offered here.
I can’t tell if this is “Mom” from above. Maybe it’s her loose sister or the lady that lives
down the street. It’s a shame that we’ll never know.
Here’s someone with a pet rabbit. Rabbits make lousy pets. They foul their cages
and can be downright nasty to their caretakers in my experience.
Maybe she’s just posing with a ceramic rabbit. I can’t say for sure. I wasn’t there.
Somewhere on The Left Coast of America, I think. I bet it doesn’t look like this today.