A new book by Luther College professor Aaron Lurth explores film cameras not simply as tools of photography, but as objects connected to technology, American culture and the lives shaped by the camera industry.
Small Luxuries: Film Cameras, a 128-page illustrated history, was published Aug. 4 by the Quarto Group, according to Luther College News. Luther College highlighted the book Aug. 12, 2026.
A visual history of cameras
Lurth is Luther’s program director of visual communication and an associate professor of art. His work spans photography, graphic design and film, and the new volume draws on those areas while presenting its subject for a broad audience.
The hardcover begins by explaining how a camera works before tracing the development of camera technology through historic manufacturers, well-known models and major figures in the industry. Illustrations and photographs are central to the coffee-table-style book, which is presented as an accessible general history rather than a highly technical study.
That approach may appeal to 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. One of the oldest cameras he photographed was a 1909 Kodak No. 3A Folding Brownie.
The book also includes vintage advertisements, photographs and newspaper clippings. Research for the project expanded Lurth’s knowledge of individual camera brands and models beyond his existing photography background. It also helped him broaden the book from a history of equipment into an account of the people and events associated with the camera industry.
The Leica story behind the technology
One of the book’s significant discoveries involves 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.
The effort later became known as the Leica Freedom Train. Lurth uses the episode to demonstrate how camera companies can be connected to major historical events and to the lives of people affected by them, in addition to design and technological innovation.
Lurth’s connection 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.