Croydon Camera Club History: 1890-2000
Preface Introduction The Club Foundation 1809 Soiree 1899 Movies Member Prestige Council Meetings 1903 Founding President Mees Years 1904-12 The Great War Between The Wars Recorded Years Riots! Police! 1931 Edridge Road, 1932 1932 Nudes Ladies and Exhibitions Club Room eviction The Studio: 1933 Cine! Ladies! 1934 Highs and Lows, 1936 A/V, Stag Party, 1937 Freemasonry 1938 Baird Television 1938 War ! 1940: Bombed ! Annual Report 1940-41 1941: Making Do 1942-5 The War Ends A War Retrospective 1946 Ladies? Ladies Admitted 1947-8 Season 35mm Slides arrive 1949 Struggling Attendances SLF Out! 1949-50 Troubled 1950 1951 Outings Rekindled 1951 Winter Season Celebrations, Portraiture 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69
CROYDON CAMERA CLUB was founded in 1890 when the town was a manufacturing centre for films, plates, chemicals and photographic apparatus to serve the quickly growing interest in the new 'hobby'.
Croydon was a natural choice for the establishment of a Camera Club with members belonging to the many photographic businesses. By proving their products to the amateur they" could stimulate demand.
The most famous of the manufacturers was the firm of Wratten and Wainright with a factory in Canterbury Road Croydon and claiming to be the oldest established Plate Makers in the world. Members of the Wratten family were members of the Croydon Camera Club through three generations until 1988.
Of the many Scientists who joined in the early days was C E K Mees who's career took him to the Vice Presidency of Kodak Ltd. He never forgot his 11 years as a Club Member and retained his interest until his death in 1960.
Croydon was one of the very few Camera Clubs in the London Area that flourished outside the Photographic Society of Great Britain, and it is fitting that the celebration of its Centenary should be marked by the publication of this book to record the History of the Croydon Camera Club from 25 February 1890 to the present time.