hell's kitchen, part 3: by george!

george is my favorite of the vintage vendors at the hk flea. his collection of cameras, vintage bottles, sewing and millinery gadgets is remarkable. fun to browse.

i believe this (above)is a kodak vigilant six-20 medium format camera, with f/8.8 100mm and a diomatic shutter, manufactured between 1939-1949. i love the shape of this folding camera, especially the kodak "stand" at the base. it required 620 mm film (which was discontinued in 1955). i didn't ask if this was in working condition--if so, one could head to the darkroom and re-spool 120mm film onto the 620mms.

i think this is an argus A4, 44mm f3.5. produced between 1953-56.

i like the look of it, super basic, with the oversized and obvious "wind" and "rewind" buttons.

i'm not a collector, so argus is a new name to me. but argus was a michigan-based company that produced its first camera in 1936--the "model a." the model a was the first affordable, easy to use 35mm camera-- it's massive success likely inspired kodak to switch its 126 mm film to the now-standard 35mm. the argus model 3c, manufactured in 1939, was the best-selling 35mm camera for nearly thirty years.

a vintage coffee grinder! with vintage beans (hmm. neat, but not so fresh)

an eyelet maker (left) and vintage bottles with original labels...

george has a serious theatre connection - a lot of his millinery and wigmaking "models" were used by designers for real broadway performers and rockettes.

ok, this is sort of neat (i think): ansco, an acronym for the anthony & scoville co, was a binghamton, ny-based photographic company founded in 1842 (pre-kodak). in 1928, it merged with the german company, agfa, and as agfa-ansco, produced inexpensive cameras and sold "re-badged" versions of other companies' cameras. in 1941 the company was taken over by the us government as an "enemy asset" because of its affiliation with germany. after the war, the company dropped agfa, and operated as ansco, until 1967, when it became the very catchy general aniline & film, or gaf.

i am pretty sure this camera is the agra/ansco readyset special, from 1941.

now that is a great name.

hell's kitchen flea, part 2: the stuff

jerry sells hundreds of stamps...



anthony, from "the store with no walls," has a huge stock of garments, shoes, and bags. none of which i am in the market for. but there's good merch, and it's well-organized.

vintage new york: hecht sewing machine & motor company

just as i had the thought that i'd seen everything of possible interest on 38th street, i walked by this window display (between 8th and 9th avenues):


the hecht sewing machine & motor company is a new york garment district institution--and a family one. first opened in 1920 by morris hecht, an immigrant from gowarzów, poland, it remains a thriving business under the direction of his grandson, steven (his parents, thomas and anita, still work at the store, too).

the store offers sewing machine sales, service and rentals, but it is perhaps their collection of vintage items (sewing machines, cutting instruments, and one-of-a-kind knickknacks) that has ensured this small business' survival for the last nine decades--it is the definitive resource for theater companies, including lincoln center, and film and tv set designers in search of period pieces. and many items have been sold at auction.




i especially like these items and the old wooden boxes...

all photos © anita aguilar

AMO the ARG: san telmo (shopping, day 2)

it seems that there are a lot of fairs and markets in BA--the biggest and most famous happens in san telmo on sundays.

z and i discussed how to attack the fair situation, since there was also another one in recoleta that we wanted to visit. i proposed visiting san telmo early in the week, to check out the scene (since it seemed there was a smaller version of it held every other day of the week) and if it was really worthwhile, we'd return on sunday, but if not, we'd be free to check out others.

and so...day 2...

san telmo was quiet and pretty--not the chaotic, borderline "dangerous" scene they describe sundays to be--and all the stores were open for business. calle defensa seems to be the heart of things.

i was pleasantly surprised to find that san telmo wasn't exclusively devoted to antiques. there's a nice blend of funky/cool and refined, with a range of price points...there are small designer boutiques--mostly argentinian, not many international brands--and indie/eco design stores.

at galeria la candelaria:






i'm not in the market for any antiques. though, i have a particular weakness for vintage movie posters, and my walls really could use something...anyway, found many to admire (at a cute little store, owned by elsa lionti and norberto sanchez, which will merit a separate post)...



further down on calle defensa, behind a door frame so unassuming i almost missed it, is the mercado municipal, an indoor food market that dates back to the 1890s. it's one of the few of its kind left in BA. during the hour i was there, many stalls were closed, but i hope you get the idea...






there are also stalls for non-food items. vintage goods that are more my speed, like old postcards and again, movie stuff:

i was destined to find this, and send the photo to my friends, teresa and richard...

and sheet music...

uh oh...a girl in hot water...i really want to know how this little ditty goes...

all photos © anita aguilar