A Luther College professor’s new book takes readers beyond lenses, shutters and film to explore how cameras became part of American culture and world history.
Aaron Lurth, Luther’s program director of visual communication and an associate professor of art, published Small Luxuries: Film Cameras on Aug. 4 through the Quarto Group, according to Luther College News. The 128-page hardcover combines camera mechanics, photography, design and cultural history in a format intended for a broad audience rather than a highly technical readership.
From camera mechanics to cultural history
The book begins by explaining how a camera works before tracing the development of film-camera technology through historic manufacturers, notable models and influential figures. Its coffee-table-style presentation includes photographs, illustrations, vintage advertisements, newspaper clippings and other visual material.
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.
Research for the project expanded Lurth’s focus from individual brands and models to the people and events connected to the camera industry. That approach gives the book potential appeal for readers interested in photography, graphic design and cultural history, as well as those curious about the stories behind familiar camera companies.
The Leica story behind the technology
One of the book’s major historical 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 rescue effort later became known as the Leica Freedom Train. Lurth uses the episode to demonstrate that the history of camera companies includes more than technological innovation and industrial design; it also intersects with major world events and the lives of people affected by them.
Lurth’s Luther College connection
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 photography 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 entered the permanent collection of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport. Small Luxuries: Film Cameras is available through the Luther Book Shop and online.