Museum displays history of cameras and photography

KOCAELİ

The Photography Technologies Museum in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, where bellows, spy and high-market value cameras are being exhibited, sheds light on the history of photography.

The SEKA Paper Factory, one of the first industrial establishments of the Republic of Türkiye, whose foundations were laid in 1934, was turned into a museum in 2016 after a restoration process. The Photography Technologies Museum was established on Aug. 19, 2022, on World Photography Day in the restored building where the machines and equipment used in the paper production process were exhibited.

From the collection of photographer and writer İlker Kumral, who lived in Izmit and died on Aug. 6, 2021, 310 cameras were purchased by the Metropolitan Municipality in 2010. These valuable pieces, which Kumral had collected for years, were put on display in the Photographic Technologies Museum.

In the museum, where 163-year-old cameras, bellows, films and auxiliary equipment are exhibited, there is also a "camera obscura" area, which paved the way for the invention of photography and the camera. In this image production mechanism, known as a dark room or box, citizens are shown how an image is created from the light entering through a pinhead-wide hole.

Equipped with informative articles explaining the history of photography and cameras, the spy cameras get the greatest interest from visitors. The most striking and popular item in this section is the camera identical to the "Minox B" used by James Bond in the 1969 movie, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."

SEKA Paper Museum Collection Director and archaeologist Salim Saraç said that the Photography Technologies Museum was established in the printing department of the SEKA Paper Museum.

Saraç stated that the cameras exhibited in the museum are from Kumral’s collection, adding, “The Metropolitan Municipality purchased cameras from Kumral in 2010 to establish a museum. We opened it in 2022.”

Stating that 310 cameras and auxiliary equipment are exhibited in the museum, Saraç said, “We have this much equipment in the warehouse, too. We put them in the showcase from time to time to create circulation. We have nearly 1,000 cameras in total. There are many works, starting from bellows cameras from 1860 to digital machines from 2011. We arrange them in chronological order and tell their history to visitors.”

Noting that spy machines are also exhibited in a glass area, Saraç said, "A spy machine similar to the one used by James Bond is also exhibited in the museum. We have a miniature machines section. There are machines used by spies, especially during the Cold War era. It is called miniature machine in the literature, but it is publicly known as a spy machine. There are nearly 20 miniature spy machines. All are real ones, personally used machines.”

Saraç emphasized that there is intense interest in photography in Kocaeli and said, "There are two photography associations in the city. Associations especially use this place for photo tours. Citizens' interest is also good. Primary and secondary school students are also interested. We can call this museum the third largest camera museum in Türkiye,” he added.

The Photography Technologies Museum is open to visitors between 9 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. every day except Mondays for free. There are also guided tours.