$13 thrift store camera hid 70-year-old undeveloped film

What’s Happening

Not gonna lie, No one knows who is in the photos—yet.

The post $13 thrift store camera hid 70-year-old undeveloped film appeared first on Popular Science. The photos depict a family and skiers in the Swiss Alps during the late 1950s. (shocking, we know)

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The Details

An offhand purchase at a secondhand shop has spilled itself to be an unexpected time capsule—and is steeped in its own mystery. Just, a customer near Salisbury, England paid around $10 for an antique film camera that was manufactured during the 1930s called a Zeiss Ikon Baby Ikonta .

But when he got home, the man (who wished to remain anonymous) found out a bonus inside the camera itself: an undeveloped roll of film dating back to 1956. The racing bibs indicate the skiers were in the Cow Gate Sky Trophy event.

Why This Matters

Credit: Salisbury Photo Centre The new owner hoped the photos were salvageable, but didn’t want to risk damaging them himself. Instead, he contacted a camera specialist at the Salisbury Photo Centre named Ian Scott to examine the find. Speaking with PetaPixel , Scott broke down that he spent 60 minutes carefully developing the delicate film.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

Key Takeaways

• The results were a collection of black and white photographs taken about 70 years ago showing skiers in the Swiss Alps.
• While some were action shots of people speeding down the slopes, others showcased a family outside Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St.
• One photo also showcases what appears to be a garden tea party at a home in the United Kingdom.
• Surviving relatives may be able to recognize and identify the photo subjects.

The Bottom Line

Several skiers in the pictures are wearing numbered racing bibs sponsored by a ba called Cow & Gate, which sponsored a Cow & Gate Ski Trophy event during the 1950s. Given that the specific type of film (Verichrome Pan 127) was dropped in 1956, Scott believes the images were likely taken towards the end of the decade.

Are you here for this or nah?