The vintage camera museum in Gurgaon, a city adjoining India’s capital, Delhi, is probably one of its kind in the world, for there are no entry tickets to the museum, nor any security guards. Just you and the cameras! All 500 of them, and counting.
And this is the result of the efforts of Aditya Arya, a photographer by profession and passion. He is not quite sure if something similar exists elsewhere, though, “It is the only curated camera museum in Asia. And I must thank all the professional photographers, their family members and others who have from time to time been donating the cameras.”
The exhibits include some cameras dating back to the 1880s. Arya has collected them from various countries including England, France, Germany, Japan, America and Switzerland. And several times, his hunt for the rare pieces has taken him to international auctions and flea markets and small-town shops in the country.
His obsession with photography began in 1977, soon after joining St Stephen’s College in New Delhi. “The college had a professional photography society,” he recalls. “There were two fully functional dark rooms, complete with enlargers, papers and chemicals, and photography was not just treated as an activity, but as an art form. All this helped develop our skills and at the same time widened our horizons.”
The tips sure came handy, as Arya says: “I have been collecting cameras ever since and had an idea back then to one day set up a museum. It has now been done with a view to introduce the digital generation to the history of analogue cameras and their evolution over the past more-than-130 years.”
Put on view are some of the most iconic studio, field and portable cameras manufactured by companies such as Eastman Kodak, Leica, Ansco, Zeiss Ikon, Folmer, Graflex, Gevaert and Thornton Picard between 1880 and 1990. While Kodak Century Graphics Studio of 1890 is the costliest, priced between Rs4.5 million (Dh264,000) and Rs5 million (Dh293,000), the smallest is a Minox that was used in the Watergate scandal in the United States in the 1970s that eventually led to then president Richard Nixon’s resignation.
One of the oldest cameras in the museum is a 4-foot-high Kodak Century Studio camera, which dates back to the 1870s. Arya provides the details: “This was one of the first of its kind, made soon after photography was invented in the mid-1800s. I got this rare classic from a junk seller in Delhi. A friend had spotted it and sent me an image of it. Within minutes, I parked myself at the junk sellers doorstep. It was a pity to find such booty in a dusty and dilapidated state. Though the junk seller did not know and couldn’t care less where it came from, a box inside had the name of a Kolkata studio on it.”
Another camera on display, referred to as Raja, was interestingly handcrafted by a man named Sardool Singh in Delhi’s Bhogal area in the 1960s and 1970s. He would make copies of Deardoff cameras and sell them in the US for $100 (Dh367) each. Arya picked up one of these copies in the 1990s. Besides, there is the Speed Graphic camera from the 1930s, which was the most famous press camera until the 1950s.
The collector also points to a camera produced by the Nazis, which bears the Nazi insignia. But for Arya’s efforts, cameras such as old Voigtlanders or the hand-held stereo viewers that show 3-D images from early last century would have been lost.
He has spent hours researching the history of cameras before cataloguing them.
Interestingly, the museum does not only display cameras, but also a lot of photographic equipment: the earliest flash equipment, photographic films, lenses, enlargers and light meters are also displayed prominently in a combination of wood and glass cabinets. It also includes several rare tin-types and daguerreotypes (some of the first permanent images in the world) for photography lovers to drool over.
The vast area also has interesting print advertisements dating back to the 1870s. One such advertisement, from Eastman Kodak in 1888, reads: “We press the button, you do the rest.” Others include the earliest adverts of Speed Graphic cameras (popular early-century press cameras).
One is left wondering how Arya managed to get hold of so many prized possessions. “After completing college, I used to sell photographs to finance my passion,” he says.
Born on August 18, 1960, in New Delhi, he began working with photographer Kulwant Roy (whom he refers to as “uncle”), after completing eleventh grade in 1976. “My father gave me a 120mm Zeiss Ikon, which was very dear to him,” he recalls. “That was the beginning of my zeal for photography.”
By 1980, he had become a travel photographer. Still photography for Bollywood films followed. In 1991-92, he worked as photo editor with Swagat, the Indian Airlines magazine. The films included “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron”, “Chashme Buddoor” and “Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho”. Arya has also done coffee-table books and for the past nearly three decades he has been doing advertising photography and shoots for hotels worldwide.
Work on the museum began five years ago. So, has his professional life taken a back seat because of his preoccupation with the museum? And how does he balance the two? “I do not regard photography as a ‘job’,” Arya says. “For me, it is a way of life. I do commercial assignments to sustain my passion for the museum, which has not hindered my work as a professional. In fact, it has rekindled my love for photography and made it even better. My commercial assignments and my museum have a symbiotic relationship.”
The veteran photographer adds: “Photography is the only art form where art and craft are deeply connected; the art keeps changing as technology changes. Thus, it is very essential for the new generation of amateur and professional photographers to understand the evolution of photographic technology and process over the years.
“Photographic technology has developed at a rapid pace since its inception in 1840. From the 19th century’s pinhole cameras and cumbersome daguerreotypes to today’s compact digital cameras, photography has become one of the most accessible democratic art mediums.
“Since its invention, its ability to transform a moment in time into an object has had mass-market appeal. In the 1920s, the introduction of lightweight cameras, faster film stock and early flash photography freed photographers from the constraints of the studio and inspired a new generation of photographers to hit the streets and capture the world around them.
“By 1901, inexpensive cameras such as the Kodak brownie range made photography an accessible hobby for the general public. And in the 1990s, digital technology freed photography from film. Thereafter, personal computers equipped with photo-editing software and colour printers made darkrooms redundant.
“Today, the mobile phone represents the pinnacle of photographic technology. It’s liberated the digital camera from the computer and provided opportunity for users to share their photos easily through social media.
“To understand the nature and practice of photography, it is essential to acquaint oneself with the history of the camera and its evolution over a period of time.
“As John Szarkowski pointed out in his graceful history of the medium, ‘Photography Until Now’, the progress of photography has been more like the history of farming, with a continual stream of small discoveries leading to bigger ones, and in turn triggering more experiments, inventions and applications while the daily work goes along uninterrupted. ‘It is perhaps worth stating the obvious: the camera is central to our understanding of photography,’ he had mentioned.”
So what surprises the visitors the most when they see the museum? I ask. “They don’t pre-empt the vastness of the collection until I open the doors of my basement and have them step into a time machine — taking them on a virtual journey of the evolution of photography since its invention,” he says.
The museum ended up in the basement, Arya says, because of the lack of space and shortage of funds to find a bigger place exclusively for the museum. “But it works out perfectly, as this way I have my office on the top floor and museum in the basement — leaving my residence sandwiched between the digital and analogue era! It also helps me to organise and coordinate things better as there is only a flight of steps between both my worlds.”
Just setting up the museum is not all that Arya has had to deal with. Maintenance is one of the most crucial aspects of the premises. The museum is a dust-free humidity-controlled area, with humidifiers that are checked on a daily basis to ensure optimum humidity levels required for the place.
That apart, there is a detailed catalogue of each camera, with a unique code for each machine. This, in turn, helps the owner keep track of where each camera came from, the year it belongs to, details of its lens and shutter, its serial number, etc. The cameras are cleaned periodically, both the ones in the cabinets and those displayed on the shelves.
Does he have any special favourites, which tempt him to see if they actually work? Arya responds, “At least 75 per cent of the cameras are in working condition. Some even have used film still in them! Each vintage camera is a classic that represents an iconic era in photography. They evoke nostalgic authenticity and simplicity, which is unparalleled.
“They allow me to experience a bit of history and to my mind, they are nothing short of historical treasures. My love for old cameras is also because they are amazing examples of mechanical technology. And interestingly, most of these were built long before electronic flash, automation, electronic shutters or even light meters were introduced.”
Black-and-white beauties
While cameras rule the space all around, the white walls of the museum are adorned with numerous black-and-white photographs shot by Kulwant Roy, who covered many political events from 1930s to 1960s.
Roy was a close family friend of the Aryas. He died of cancer in a Delhi hospital in 1984. As he was unmarried, Roy left all his life’s works — several cartons of photographs and negatives — with Arya, then a budding photographer.
“Since I was involved in my own work and career, I did not find the time to open the cartons,” Arya says. “Having dragged the trunks containing the cartons and packets around a succession of rented accommodations, I was persuaded by my family to at least take a look at them. And finally, when I did — in 2008 — it changed my life!”
His uncle had set up a studio, Associated Press Photo, in Old Delhi’s Mori Gate, and as a press photographer, he got numerous opportunities to click moments that are historic now. The photographs are an evocative visual account of India’s freedom movement and the great leaders who made independent India a reality. The events are chronicled in Arya’s museum frame by frame.
The photographs feature Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali, Edwina and Lord Louis Mountbatten, Jacqueline Kennedy, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Arya says it was a mammoth task to go through the cartons full of packets neatly labelled Gandhi, Nehru, INA Trials, Muslim League, Gandhi’s North-West Frontier Province visit, Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1962 India visit and the Indo-Chinese War.
Arya focuses on a 1939 photograph of Gandhi in a heated argument with Jinnah. It is considered rare, as they were seldom photographed together, especially during the course of their disagreements. There are numerous photographs of the country’s freedom struggle and many other post-Independence milestones, including the signing of the Indian Constitution.
Also prominently placed are photographs of Gandhi pleading for donations and the meeting of the two key figures who shaped modern India, Nehru and Patel, along with Gandhi, under the iconic poster of “Gulami” (bondage). “Many have speculated about the substance of their deep discussion, but for any common viewer it is very clear that the only thing on top of the leaders’ minds at that time must have been to break the shackles of bondage — so well illustrated in the image,” Arya says.
Another image of Gandhi stepping down from the third-class railway compartment only further reinforces the simplicity of the great man and the reverence he commanded from his followers, aptly illustrated by the graceful bowing in the foreground.
Similarly, there are several photographs that Roy sold to international news agencies during his lifetime, which are now in the archival collection.
For the past five years, Arya has been documenting thousands of photographs and negatives left by Roy, including several hundred images from the last days of the British Raj that were never published. These include some of Jinnah during the Muslim League meetings.
With a team of six, Arya has been working for almost 18 hours a day to record and preserve the photographs.
Since restoration is neither easy nor cheap, it has been a struggle. “Due to my preoccupation with my career I did not open the cartons for more than two decades,” he says. “Many photographs and negatives, therefore, had stuck together and were in a bad state.
“I have documented and archived more than 15,000 photographs, many of which were in need of restoration. They not only require huge resources, but also even a slight error of judgment could destroy the image, as restoration requires the use of chemicals. And as it is, the products have already become so fragile.”
His office on the top floor is where the action takes place. Arya set up workstations and acquired state-of-the-art equipment to ensure no print or negative was destroyed. Though several institutions have approached him to buy the images and negatives — some even offering to take them abroad for archiving — Arya refused to let the fortune be taken outside India.
“I cannot trust anyone on this,” he says. “It is my family’s treasure trove and the single largest collection of its kind in the country. And as I said, my aim is to preserve it all for posterity. The archive has excited historians who believe it may shed new light on key moments in India’s Independence movement. And 200-300 years hence, when people try to reconstruct the times gone by, these records will prove helpful.”
Especially overwhelming are the fragile, broken negatives that have to be very delicately handled. Initially, the team had thought cataloguing the entire collection would take a few months. But it took them three and half years. And the work is nowhere near completion even now.
Looking intently at some photographs, Arya says the black-and-white collection excites him, but he admits the techniques used in photography today have come a long way. Even when he joined the profession, he says, he had to slog, as “even flash bulbs were introduced much later”.
He adds: “I remember Roy telling me some interesting incidents from when they would use a chemical powder, which someone had to light while the photographer clicked precisely at that time. The photographs are an institution and a lesson in techniques to today’s photographers. They are marvels, considering the primitive equipment that was used during those times compared to the easy techniques on offer for professionals now.
“With heavy equipment and limited resources, the photographers of yore could be considered excellent. And from the works of those times one can safely say that to produce a great image, one does not need a high-tech camera. The art of visualising, versatility and adaptability to different situations are the marks of a good lensman.”
When he looks the photographs taken by Roy, Arya sometimes puts himself in that situation and tries to perceive how he would have captured the shot today and what his uncle would have gone through capturing those moments.
Roy’s works have kept Arya busy for years. And along with archiving the images, in 2011, he brought out an expensive album on Gandhi, which was gifted to the US President Barack Obama. The idea came to him when people began inquiring about some collector’s prints as souvenirs. Not one to do things in a transient manner, Arya approached people who manufacture the most exemplary archival papers in the world.
“One day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up to say that he wished to present the US President with a collection of Gandhi’s photographs,” he recalls. “Since the prime minister had written the foreword for my book ‘History in the Making’ and was aware that I had some rare photographs of the Indian leaders, it simplified things.”
Arya submitted the prototype to a committee, and on approval, he came up with 200 copies of the limited collector’s edition album comprising 18 rare photographs of Gandhi, shot by Roy, which were not in public domain until Arya archived them. The album project took him two years; he used premium Hahnemühle Bamboo archival paper, which has a shelf life of more than 150 years. The box was designed using the most expensive raw silk and its binding was done in raw khadi fabric.
India’s first couple bought the first edition and Prime Minister Singh gifted a copy to President Obama.
The India Photo Archive Foundation
“I have been holding photographic exhibitions in India and abroad and the response has been tremendous,” Arya says. “The exhibitions have been held in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Spain. The purpose of these exhibitions is to raise funds for the India Photo Archive Foundation (IPAF), which I have formed to provide scholarships to students to learn photography.”
IPAF has also been formed to create awareness of contemporary and historical photographs, archives and the access and use of such archives for academic, institutional and cultural purposes. IPAF has the philanthropic support of eminent personalities such as Dr Suresh Neotia, emeritus of Ambuja Cements Limited.
Arya is candid when he says that in an age when digital information is all around, it is easy to forget that great volumes of historical images of India, whether journalistic, political, personal, developmental or social, languish in neglect in institutions and homes. Images of the common man or of travel, leisure, scintillating moments in sports, events and festivities, records of marriage, birth, death, mourning and celebrations — these are not just testimonies of their times, but are also invaluable sources of knowledge. They are an essential part of our cultural heritage, a gateway to understanding the past and at the same time acquiring a perspective on the present.
“The IPAF,” Arya says, “has been established with a view to identify, preserve and document such photographic legacies. It aims to restore original photographs and negatives, digitise their contents and preserve, annotate and document them. The foundation will work to disseminate the works through exhibitions, publications and the internet. In doing so, it hopes to aid the development of a platform for amateur and professional photography, and encourage a wider discourse on the content and aesthetics of photography.”
One wonders if delving into too many things would hamper his work at the museum. But Arya says, “My works are inter-related. And the collection of cameras remains as much an obsession today as it was 37 years ago. In fact, I have just returned from Mumbai with more than three-dozen cameras and vintage camera equipment from junk-dealers. I need to sit and begin my research on them.”
Nilima Pathak is a journalist based in New Delhi.
