A new book by Luther College professor Aaron Lurth uses the history of film cameras to tell a much larger story about technology, culture and the people whose lives were connected to 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 camera technology
Lurth is Luther’s program director of visual communication and an associate professor of art. His work spans photography, graphic design and film, and those fields shape a book designed as a broad, accessible history rather than a highly technical examination.
The hardcover begins by explaining how a camera works before tracing the development of camera technology through historic manufacturers, notable models and major figures in the industry. Photographs and illustrations are central to the coffee-table-style volume, which also contains vintage advertisements, photographs and newspaper clippings.
About one-third of the images were sourced and photographed by Lurth with cameras he owns or was able to access. Among the oldest cameras he photographed was a 1909 Kodak No. 3A Folding Brownie.
Research for the project expanded Lurth’s understanding of individual camera brands and models. It also pushed the book beyond equipment history, bringing in the people and events associated with the camera industry. That approach may appeal to readers interested in photography, design and cultural history.
The Leica story behind the technology
One of the book’s major 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 not only to design and technological innovation, but also to major historical events and the people affected by them.
Lurth’s connection to Luther College
Lurth earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Luther College in 2008 and 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.