Aaron Lurth, a Luther College professor whose work spans photography, graphic design and film, has published a new book exploring how film cameras shaped technology, American culture and individual lives.
Small Luxuries: Film Cameras was published Aug. 4 by the Quarto Group, according to Luther College News. Luther College highlighted the book Aug. 12, 2026. Lurth is the program director of visual communication and an associate professor of art at Luther College in Decorah.
A visual history of cameras
The 128-page hardcover begins with an explanation of how a camera works, then follows the development of camera technology through historic manufacturers, well-known models and major figures in the camera industry.
Designed as a visually driven coffee-table book, the volume puts illustrations and photographs at the center. It is intended as an accessible general history rather than a highly technical study, making the subject approachable for readers interested in photography, design or cultural history.
About one-third of the images were sourced and photographed by Lurth, using cameras he owns or was able to access. Among the oldest cameras he photographed was a 1909 Kodak No. 3A Folding Brownie. The book also includes vintage advertisements, photographs and newspaper clippings.
The research gave Lurth an opportunity to deepen his knowledge of individual camera brands and models beyond his existing photography background. That work helped broaden the book from a history of equipment into an account of the people and events connected to the camera industry.
The Leica story behind the technology
One of the book’s significant discoveries concerns Leica, the German camera company. During the 1930s, Leica owner Ernst Leitz II helped approximately 300 Jewish people leave Nazi Germany by assigning them to offices in France, Great Britain, Hong Kong and the United States under the appearance of Leica employment.
That effort later became known as the Leica Freedom Train. Lurth uses the episode to show that camera companies can be connected not only to design and technology, but also to major historical events and the lives of people affected by them.
Lurth’s return to Decorah
Lurth earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Luther College in 2008 and received a master of fine arts degree in photography and graphic design from the University of Iowa in 2012. He later returned to Luther as a professor of art and visual communication.
His photographic work has appeared in projects associated with National Geographic, ABC, NBC, MTV.com, Time, the Des Moines Register, General Electric, CNET.com, the Red Cross and The Iowa Review. His films have screened at more than 100 festivals worldwide and received several awards, including the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s Best Documentary film.
In 2022, two of Lurth’s photographs were added to the permanent collection of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport.
Small Luxuries: Film Cameras is available through the Luther Book Shop and online.